Skin Deep
by Haitus80
Summary: The world is over. His brother is gone. His options are slim. And then out of the fog appears something he doesn't even recognize. He doesn't see it at first for what it really is. Hope.
1. Chapter 1

**It is back to basics. This story is much different than my first. Those of you who were repulsed by the changes that I had made to Carol's character can breath easy. She's back! The chapters for this story is going to be shorter because I make less mistakes that way =) I hope you like it. Read and review. Regardless of what you have to say. The only thing I ask is, if you do give me a bad review, is please sign in first. Any criticism I receive is appreciated. You took the time out of your day to read a story that you believe was a waste of your time and I am eager to read anyone's opinion. Especially if it helps me become better. But if you're a coward that wont leave your name then I'm going to delete it and move on. Not because I can't handle a bad review but because I think people that are mean to others anonymously are just doing so to stroke their own ego's so they'll feel like better writer's. I don't have time for that. I hope you don't think I'm being rude! I really don't want to seem that way but it is a pet peeve of mine! I hope you enjoy this one as much as people enjoyed the first! Read and review, even if you hate it ;) I do not own The Walking Dead or any of it's characters! **

Chapter One

The moisture in the air was so dense that Daryl could feel the condensation collecting on his skin as he sat by the edge of the water. Felt it in his throat with every inhalation. It almost felt like he was drowning right there. He may as well have been drowning since there really wasn't anyone left to give a damn. Merle was gone. Everything was gone. It was just him now and he was surprisingly at peace with the thought.

He had lost it back there in Atlanta when he had discovered Merle's hand on that rooftop. He wanted to lash out at someone. Anyone. But that wasn't going to get him far. He'd seen how many of those things were out there and he wasn't sure if he should risk trying to survive on his own. Before they had discovered this camp it had just been him and Merle but there seemed to be more and more of those things every day. So he was stuck trying to decided on whether to hang around, alone, on the outskirts of this group, or just do what he knew Merle would do and take off. It wouldn't have been hard. He didn't have any ties to the people here. Hell, he didn't even like any of them. The cops were the worst. Especially the new one. The one that didn't even know his cop buddy was slinging it to his wife while he wasn't around.

Daryl shook his head and picked up one of the smooth stones, sliding it through his hands absently. Yeah, he really wasn't looking forward to spending any more time with this group, but he was afraid that if he wanted to live then that is exactly what he was going to have to do. For now anyway. It was all Merle's fault. Everything shitty that happened to him was usually Merle's fault so he shouldn't have been surprised that this happened. Leaving Daryl behind to pick up the pieces was what Merle was good at. It was kind of comforting to know that even the end of the world couldn't change Merle.

His head snapped around when he heard a sound off to his right. He snatched the crossbow that was lying next to him and scooted back towards some boulders. It was hard to see who may be coming because the fog was so thick and the full moon made it glow like it was lit from within. He knew it wasn't an animal from all the noise. Animals were usually a lot quieter than that. People were usually the only things dumb enough to make that much noise. Especially at night. He waited and watched for whoever it was to appear out of the fog. When the person finally emerged he wasn't surprised to see who it was.

He couldn't recall her name off the top of his head. She was the one that had the little girl and that dumb shit husband. She didn't see him but he saw her. There was blood on her face, probably a new bruise or two. She'd came here before to clean herself up after one of the beatings her husband would give her. From what Daryl could tell the lady really didn't have to do much to earn the bruises. She was usually busy doing the washing or the cooking and waiting on the man hand and foot while he sat on his fat ass not doing a damn thing. He didn't like the man. And he didn't like the woman either. She should have put a bullet in her husbands head a long time ago. But instead she let him kick her ass and probably the little girls ass too but he hadn't seen that yet. He hoped he never would.

The first time he had seen the man hit her he was going to do something about it. Merle had had other plans though and for once what Merle had said made sense. It wasn't none of Daryl's business what went on between a man and his wife. She wasn't any concern of theirs. And if she hated it that bad she should do something about it herself. So Daryl, not feeling too good about it at the time, had followed Merle. What happened to her was her own fault. Non of his business.

So imagine his surprise as he stood up and silently walked towards her. She was bent down at the knees, cupping water in her hands and splashing her face with it. A few times she would hold her hands there to her face and he would see her shoulders move. She was crying. He hadn't ever talked to her before. Hell, he didn't plan on talking to her now but when he commanded his body to turn around and his feet to walk away they ignored him, leaving him rooted to the spot a few feet behind her. When she finally realized there was someone there she stood up and spun around faster than he expected. He watched as, to his surprise, her face went from fearful to relieved when she saw him there. Her eyes were wide but she looked more embarrassed than anything else.

"Hi, Daryl. I was just washing up before bed." She said in a voice that cracked and those wide blue eyes grew misty.

He didn't say anything to her but he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a dew rag and shoved it in her direction. She looked at him, too stunned to do anything for a second and then reached out with a shaky hand and took it.

"Thank you." She said softly as she dried her wet face off. The corner of her mouth was bleeding freely and she held the cloth there for a second before looking up at him once more. "I'm really sorry about what happened. To your brother I mean. They never should have done that, leaving him up there that way."

He couldn't think of anything to say so he just nodded. So far everyone said that Merle got what was coming to him. He didn't expect to hear someone say otherwise. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Merle was his brother, sure, but he was a real son of a bitch and even Daryl knew it. To hear this woman express pity for someone like that was confusing. But that's how people were to Daryl. Confusing.

"Well," She said as she pushed the cloth back into his hand, causing him to jump at the sudden contact, "Thank you, again. I best be heading back now."

He nodded again, still not knowing what to say. She lingered there a few more long seconds until he looked from his hand back to her face. For the first time he noticed just how blue her eyes were. He looked away quickly and shoved the damp cloth back into his pocket.

"Good night." She said as she hurried past him.

He watched her disappear into the fog and then readjusted the crossbow at his back. He figured it was time he headed back himself. He kept telling himself he wasn't following her. That he didn't care if something happened to her on her way back to camp. Stupid woman should know better than to wonder around after dark by herself to begin with. No, he didn't care a bit. So what if she'd been the first person to talk to him like he wasn't just trash that blew into camp. That didn't have a thing to do with it.

He told himself that several times as he hurried after her through the fog.

~H~

Carol felt her cheeks burning as she made her way back to camp. She knew that everyone knew about Ed. Knew he liked to beat on her. Knew he loved to watch her wallow in her humiliation. But she hadn't expected anyone to be there tonight. She liked going down to the water alone. It gave her a feeling of peace that she didn't normally get anywhere else. Tonight, of course, she had went there to clean up the blood and to cry. To be alone with her thoughts and her misery. And then there was Daryl Dixon standing in the fog like a wraith. At first seeing him there had nearly scared her to death. She was sure it was Ed, coming to finish what he had started.

Ed had taken Shane's warning to heart after the last time he had hit her in front of everyone. Now the beatings were quieter. And he didn't hit her in the face as often. The throbbing in her ribs flared up at the thought of the new blows she had taken. He was being careful now. Careful not to leave as many bruises that would show. She didn't want to think about that anymore. It seemed like that was all she ever thought about and her stomach was constantly in knots over the stress.

She let her mind mull over what had happened by the water. Neither of the Dixon brother's had ever bothered speaking to her before. Not that the guy had done any talking tonight but as he shoved the handkerchief at her she felt a little better. Like he was finally coming out of his shell a bit. There had been at least a bit of communication going on between the two of them. He seemed so alone. Especially now that Merle was gone.

She knew that Merle hadn't been the nicest person, even to his brother, and she felt bad for Daryl. It was obvious, to her anyway, that he wasn't the same as the elder Dixon. Sure, he was rough and brooding and normally wore a scowl on his face but she had heard them in the woods, arguing over this or that, and it was clear that Daryl was trapped by his brothers bad attitude. Living in the shadow of a man that was meaner than a snake. She knew mean men when she saw them and Daryl wasn't one. Ed wasn't mean like Merle either. Ed was mean to her, sure. He was even mean to Sophia but Ed was mostly a coward. Merle was mean, and he wasn't afraid of anyone. Not like Ed.

As she neared the camp she thought she heard something in the trees. She picked up her pace but suddenly someone or something had her around the wrists. She nearly screamed.

"Where you been?" Ed drawled as he tightened his grip on her wrist. She wanted to pull away but she stood still, knowing that fighting him only made things worse.

"I went to get cleaned up before bed." She said quietly.

"Who was you with?" He asked, his nails were digging into her flesh now and she flinched which caused him to smile a little.

"No one. I just walked down to the water. That's all." She hoped Daryl didn't show up on the path then. The last thing she needed was another shot to the ribcage, or worse if Ed thought she was sneaking around with another man.

Ed narrowed his eyes at her but he let go of her wrist. She rubbed the tender flesh. "Get your stupid ass back to camp where you belong." He growled.

She nodded and hurried away from him towards her tent. She could feel his eyes boring into her back as she scurried up the path. She felt tears sting her eyes again but she willed them away. If Sophia woke up she didn't want the girl to see her cry. She had seen enough of that.


	2. Chapter 2

**I know everyone is really sick of Ed! Just hang in there! He is serving a purpose I promise. And I wont need him for long. Thank you for reading! =)**

Chapter Two

Carol scrubbed the pants she held in her hands vigorously on the washboard. Back home she had enjoyed the laundry. People thought she was insane but there was something relaxing about mundane chores. This on the other hand was not relaxing or mundane. She wasn't even sure who the pants belonged too. All she knew was that they somehow ended up in a hamper and now she was determined to get the filthy things clean. Her hands were red but she fought with the pants anyway.

Ed was behind her, sitting on a rock watching every move she made like he usually did. The other women kept their mouths shut, for her sake, while they went about their own washing. Rick and Shane were down the bank a ways with Sophia and Lori and Ricks son Carl. She was happy to see Sophia smiling as the men tried to show the children how to spear a fish.

"The hell you keep on washin' the same pair of pants for?" Ed called from behind her and she felt her whole body stiffen at the sound of his voice.

She opted to ignore him, knowing the chances of paying for that later were high but she didn't care at the moment. If he wasn't going to give her hell for this he would give her hell for some other reason. She wrung out the pants and put them with the rest of the semi clean clothes.

"Hey, Carol."

Carol looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun and smiled. "Hi, Lori."

"Have you seen Carl? I haven't been able to find him anywhere at camp and I was hoping he was with Sophia." Lori said, a little breathless.

Carol pointed further down without saying anything to the woman.

Lori let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I swear I just can't keep that boy in one place."

Carol just smiled at her and picked up the now heavy basket of wet clothes. She walked over to where Ed sat. "Ed, would you mind running these to camp for me and bringing back the other basket of linens?" She asked, knowing he would say no.

"I ain't doin' your damn chores. Go on and do it yourself." He pointed towards the path.

She turned around with her heavy burden and smiled. She knew the only way she could keep him from following her around was to ask him to do her a favor. She didn't mind that the basket felt as though it would pull her shoulders out of their sockets, so long as it gave her a few minutes away from him. She was about a quarter of the way up the side when she nearly ran into someone coming around the curve.

"Shit." Carol huffed as she skidded to a halt and then she flushed.

Daryl stopped just before he ran right into her. Their eyes locked for just a brief moment and then he looked away and stepped around her.

"Sorry. I should have been watching where I was going." She mumbled as he passed her on the path. She heard his feet on the gravel for a few steps but then they stopped.

She turned around and watched him. He just stood there for a few seconds and she was about to turn around and head up to camp without waiting on him to say anything because her arms were killing her. But then he spun around and grabbed the basket from her, lifting it easily.

"Daryl, you don't have to do that. That basket weighs a ton." She fussed as he passed her and headed back towards camp.

He turned his head towards her and looked at her like she was dumb so she stopped fussing and gave him a smile.

"Thank you, again. You know, if you aren't careful I'm going to start thinking you might be a nice guy."

He grunted in response but she noticed that the corner of his mouth lifted slightly right before he slipped that angry mask back into place.

"So, do you ever talk anymore?" She asked, honestly curious. "I've heard you talk to your brother. I heard you yell at Rick and Shane. I think I even heard you call Lori a whore before, but I haven't heard you say a word since you got back from Atlanta." She couldn't keep the worry out of her tone.

"I ain't mute." He muttered.

"That's good." She said, hiding a smile of her own.

He sat the basket down next to the clothesline where she hung her laundry. She expected him to run off as soon as she started hanging the clothes but he didn't. Instead he leaned against the tree and watched her. She didn't mind. He wasn't staring at her the way Ed did. Like he was waiting to criticize her for something. She wasn't sure exactly why he was looking at her but for some reason it felt nice.

Dale and Glen were sitting on top of the R.V. looking down at them curiously.

"So, are you planning on staying with us? I know Rick and Shane were talking about heading out some time soon." She spared him a look.

He just looked up and shrugged.

She continued on with the clothes but she did spare him one more glance before she said anything else. He was chewing his thumb nail and looking off into the trees. "For what its worth." She picked up the dirty laundry basket and then faced him, "I really do hope you stay with us."

His blue eyes flicked over towards her and held hers for a moment, causing her to feel like maybe her words had came out all wrong.

"I mean, you know. Strength in numbers and all." She smiled feeling her face flush and then wondering why on earth she was blushing.

He turned without a word and stalked off towards the path. She watched him silently until he was out of sight. She waited a few more minutes before she walked in the same direction, not wanting Ed to see her arriving at the same time Daryl did. She glanced up at Dale and Glen and gave a small wave. They both waved back and looked away.

~H~

Daryl stalked down the path, making more noise than usual but not caring at the moment. He didn't know why he had done that. Helped her carry laundry like some dumb ass. But that basket did look heavy, for her anyway, and he thought it was stupid to make her carry it all the way up to camp when it was much easier for him to just do it himself. God, Merle would have given him shit for days over a dumb ass move like that. And then he didn't just pack the basket for her, he had stood there like an idiot while she hung up the clothes. He knew that nosy old man and the Chinese guy were watching him but he hadn't really cared. Not at the moment. He cared now though. They were probably talking about it right now.

He blew out a breath and then he stopped in the middle of the path when he realized something. He had no idea why he had been headed down in the first place. And she was up there somewhere heading down herself with more clothes to wash. He kept on walking. He wasn't about to make himself look even more stupid by passing her on the path again. He'd find something to do down by the water. He'd figure out what once he got down there.

He started thinking about what she had said. That she hoped he stayed on with the group. Why the hell would she say that?

"Hey, you see my wife up there anywhere?" Ed called as soon as he came around the bend.

He ignored the man. There wasn't a damn thing that he had to say to him. He spotted the cops and the two kids down the bank a ways and started heading towards them. Maybe ask where they planned on heading and then if it sounded good enough he would think about going with them.

"Hey, I asked you a question boy. You deaf or somethin'?" Ed called as he stood up from the rock he had been sitting on.

Daryl froze and then turned around slowly.

Ed was making his way towards him, cigarette hanging from his fat lips. Daryl's hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"Ed! That's enough!" Andrea ran to stand in front of Ed when he was about twenty feet away from Daryl.

Daryl narrowed his eyes. The last thing he wanted was for this dumb bitch to get in his business. He wanted Ed to try some shit with him. Ed was bigger which was probably the only reason he thought he could mess with Daryl to begin with but Daryl knew he could take him. He had been fighting since he was a kid and Ed was big but he was soft. Any man that liked to put his hands on women and kids wasn't tough in Daryl's book.

He tore his eyes away from Ed just in time to see Carol. She was holding the basket in both hands and she froze at the sight before her. Andrea was still lecturing Ed, who looked close to hitting her. Daryl realized that his hands were still clenched and he let them relax.

"Whats wrong?" Carol asked, a hint of fear creeping into her voice.

"Did I ask you to open your mouth?" Ed spun around and took a few steps towards the woman who looked really scared now.

Her eyes met his and then she looked back at the advancing Ed. Daryl didn't realize he had decided to act until his feet were moving.

Carol's eyes shot up and went wide. "Daryl, don't." She breathed but he wasn't listening anymore.

If Ed wanted a fight then that's what Daryl would give him. He wasn't going to lay a hand on the woman. Not in front of him anyway. Merle wasn't here to tell him what to do anymore. No one was. So he was going to start doing whatever the hell he wanted to do. And he was going to start with Ed.

Ed turned around and sneered at Daryl. But Daryl didn't give him a chance to say a word. He hit Ed one time and then Ed hit the ground. It hadn't been long since Shane had beaten the hell out of the man so Daryl couldn't take all the credit. He was sure Ed's face was still pretty sore from the other day.

Carol rushed over to him and knelt down by his head. When she looked up at Daryl there were tears on her face. He felt sick. This woman was crazy. Batshit crazy. The man had beaten her half stupid and she was going to cry over him?

"What's going on?" Rick asked, a little breathless as he ran towards them.

"Ed." Andrea spat. "He came at Daryl. And this time Daryl wasn't the one that started anything."

Shane was right behind Rick, peering down over Ricks shoulder. He glanced towards Daryl and gave a nod.

Daryl ignored him. He gave Carol one last disgusted look and then turned and walked away. He would never understand why women would put up with men like Ed. Not women like her who was suppose to be smart. She should have more respect for herself than that. He remembered thinking about how he didn't like her. But really he just didn't understand her. He probably never would.

He needed to just stay away from her. She was too nice and it was getting into his head. He knew that she probably just pitied him. Like he was some orphaned dog on the side of the road. He didn't need that from her. Or anybody else in this group for that matter.

"I really hope you stay..." Her voice sounded in his head as he stormed up the path. He shook his head. And here he thought that with Merle being gone his life was going to be less complicated. He blew out a breath and kicked at the loose rocks in front of him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Carol clutched her midsection tightly as she moved around the now sleeping Ed. She unzipped the tent as quietly as she could and only enough so she could squeeze through. Her ribs felt like they were on fire. She just had to hope he hadn't broken anything. The fog was back and she was once again glad for it. It almost felt like a blanket to her. Security. The fires were burning low so she knew it was late. She had stumbled upon Daryl the night before but surely he wasn't there now.

She felt her eyes start to sting when she thought about the look on his face earlier that day after he had hit Ed. What people didn't understand was that she didn't cry for the man. She knew what would end up happening to her for what other people did, and that was what the tears were for. She knew they all meant well but no one in camp was making her life easier at the moment. As soon as she had saw the look on Daryl's face as he advanced on her husband she knew that she was in for a world of pain. The tears were for herself. For the pain she knew was coming, but she couldn't tell anyone that.

She made her way down the trail as quietly as she could. She just needed to get away for a while and think about things. She should have woken Sophia but she hadn't wanted the girl to see her like this. She was a mess. She had always been a mess and she didn't understand why. Why she put up with the things she put up with. Why she let her daughter live in such violence. The sounds of frogs and insects filled the air the closer she got to the water. She couldn't see it yet through the thick blanket of fog that lay across it but she could hear it. The soft lapping sounds. Even the splash of an occasional fish. It was all soothing to her. Numbing.

She sat down near the waters edge in her usual spot. She picked up a few of the rocks and tossed them into the water. Then she picked up a whole handful and threw them with as much force as she could muster. She choked out a sob and then pulled her knees up to her chest, and let her tears come. No one could hear her way down here and she really just wanted to cry. She felt so weak and completely useless. Her ribs ached with each ragged breath she was able to draw in but she couldn't stop. She had to do something. She had to get Sophia away from that man. Had to get herself away from that man.

Nothing she had ever done before had worked. She had tried leaving him but it hadn't worked. She had no skills, no money and he owned everything. The car and the house belonged to him and the bank accounts were all in his name. She had no family left and he had kept her away from her friends until eventually they had all just given up. And she knew eventually he would try to take them away from here. She knew the only thing that had kept him from killing her back then was his fear of going to prison. And the only thing keeping him from killing her now were the people around them. If they left alone she was done for and then what would he do to Sophia if she wasn't around?

Her shoulders shook and her ribs burned but she couldn't stop her sobs. She didn't really have anyone. These people were nice but they had their own problems and their own families. She felt like she was going to be sick just thinking about it.

~H~

Daryl couldn't believe it. He was just walking back up to his tent after going to the woods and taking a leak and he saw Carol, he remembered her name now, crawling out of her tent and heading straight for the path. For a few seconds he thought about saying to hell with it and letting her go on alone. That was obviously what she wanted. But then he started thinking about what else could be out there so he followed her. She was a few yards in front of him but the fog had kept him hidden, just like it could keep anything else hidden that could jump out and hurt her.

Her arms were wrapped tightly around her ribs and he could only guess what that meant. And then something occurred to him. Something he should have thought about before now. Maybe she hadn't been upset about him hitting Ed earlier. Maybe she had been upset because she knew that she would be the one to pay for what he did to Ed. Something twisted painfully in his stomach and he knew what it was. Guilt. Was he the real reason she was clutching her ribs that way?

He shook his head. Even if this did happen to her because of what he had done, it was still her fault. She was the one that let Ed do those things to her. He wasn't to blame for that.

She sat down slowly next to the water. He watched as she threw a few stones and then she chucked a handful and then she fell apart. Her knees came up and she started crying. That guilt ate it's way up his throat until he thought he would be sick. Wouldn't that be great? He was pretty much stalking her now, he may as well gross her out too. He didn't know what to do.

He stood there for a long time and just watched as her small form shook from the force of her tears. He felt like some kind of freak but he couldn't leave her alone and he didn't know how to comfort a person. Especially a woman. He didn't know shit about women other than that half of them were crazy and the ones here were annoying as hell. Well, all of them but her. She was different.

He finally decided that he had to do something. He couldn't stand the sounds she was making. If he had heard an animal in that much agony he would have shot it in the head. He couldn't very well shoot her so he had to do something else. He walked up behind her. He didn't try to be quiet because he wanted her to know he was there. She tensed when she finally heard him coming. She didn't turn her head to look to see who was there. She just became very still, like she was waiting for something.

He walked up next to her and then dropped to the ground, crossing his legs. She was so close he could feel the heat radiating off her body. Her forehead was pressed into her knees so he couldn't see her face. He knew he should stay something but he wasn't sure what to say. He thought to much. That was his problem. He didn't think anyone else thought so hard about what they were going to say before they said it. People just said what was on their minds. Not him. He was always too scared he would say something stupid. He tried to just say the first thing that popped into his head but he couldn't say that because he wanted to ask her why she put up with that asshole and that wasn't going to make her feel better.

"I'm sorry. Bout earlier." He finally managed but his voice was so low he doubted that she had even heard him.

But she turned her head slowly resting her cheek on her knees instead of her head. She looked at him for a few uncomfortable minutes and then to his astonishment the corner of her mouth turned up. "Earlier wasn't your fault."

He looked away, out towards the water and the fog. "You come out here a lot?"

She raised her head up and wiped her eyes. "I try to. It's quiet and I like the peace."

"You want me to go so you can..."

"No." She said quickly. "I..." But she let the sentence hang there in the air. Her voice was a bit breathy and he couldn't help but worry about her ribs.

He knew that was where Ed was hitting her now and the way she was breathing sounded like something might be more wrong than just some bruising. "You ever have broken ribs before?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I've had broken bones in a lot of places but never my ribs. Why?"

"Don't sound too good. If you got broken ribs then the bone could puncture a lung or somethin'."

She let out a breath and winced.

He stood up then and held out his hand. "Come on, I ain't gonna bite." He grumbled.

She took his hand and let him pull her up slowly. Her arms wrapped around herself instantly. "I think I'll head back now. If he wakes up..."

"You need looked at." He said, sounding annoyed.

"Well, there isn't any doctors here. I'll have to manage on my own."

He sighed. "Can I see?"

"What?" She sounded panicked.

"I've had a rib or two cracked in my lifetime." He looked away again. He didn't know why the hell he was talking to this woman. And no matter how much he told himself to shut the hell up he wouldn't. She wanted to go. He should let her go. But he really didn't want her too.

She finally nodded and wadded up the material of the baggie shirt she was wearing before slowly lifting it, exposing her torso.

The first thing he noticed was how her pale skin damn near glowed in the moonlight. The second thing he noticed was the flat planes of her stomach that led down to the subtle swell of her hips and then, after swallowing, he noticed that a lot of that pale skin wasn't glowing at all. Dark bruises, that he couldn't make out the color of in the moonlight, were covering a large portion on her midsection.

He reached out carefully and touched the darkest bruise that damn near spanned the whole length of her ribcage. Her skin was hot. Or his hands were cold, he wasn't really sure anymore. He cursed himself when the first thought that popped into his head was how soft her skin was. Like silk under the rough pads of his fingertips. And then cursed again when other parts of his body started reacting to that small touch.

She made a small sound when he pressed on the spot. He kept his eyes averted as he willed his hands to check her ribs instead of feel her skin. Another, sharper sound escaped her lips when he pressed against a spot that was lower. He took a deep breath and then quickened up his examination. When he told her to turn around he had to look away for a second. Her back was worse but he was moving quickly now, willing himself to stop being so distracted. When he was finished he let his fingers linger there on her back for a few seconds before pulling his hands away and tugging the shirt back into place.

"Well? What's the verdict, Doc? Do you think I'll live?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood.

He didn't reward her with a smile. He was dead serious when he met her eyes. "For now. But it's gonna get worse. And I ain't too sure how much longer you got if you don't do somethin' about it soon."

Her eyes widened. "I don't need you telling me what I need to do." She sounded pissed. Good. She needed to be.

"You're right. Ain't none of this any of my business." He held her gaze but almost faltered when her eyes grew moist once more. "You wanna head back now?" He finally asked.

She nodded and walked away. He let her stay a few feet ahead of him. He wasn't the most social person in the world but it was pretty clear that she was done talking for the night. He watched like he had watched her before but now with a new appreciation. Everyone around here whispered behind her back about how weak and pitiful she was. But that was one good thing about being Daryl Dixon. If you kept your mouth shut and really looked at things, you learned a lot. And he was starting to think that eventually, Old Ed was going to regret the things he had done to this woman. He saw it in her eyes. Just a brief flash but it had been there.

He decided on the spot that he needed to stick around for a while.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for the reviews! I know that the chapters are much shorter in this story than my last and some of you got used to a daily update of a 8,000 or more word chapter. I promise I will try to make these a bit longer for my spoiled friends ;) But I'm trying to pace myself so I wont make so many grammatical errors. No matter how good the story may be some people tuck tail and run if it looks like it was written by a third grader! Haha. But I will try to make them longer because I love reading lengthy chapters myself! =) Thank you all for reading and I'm really happy that you like this story so far. And remember! I have big plans for our friend Ed so bear with me! **

Chapter Four

Carol didn't sleep well that night. The pain did it's share of keeping her awake but it was something else too. She couldn't believe that Daryl had been there. And she was having trouble understanding why him being there hadn't bothered her. As soon as she had heard him she hadn't been afraid that it may be Ed. She had known who it was from the moment she heard him approach. And she had felt better almost instantly. Embarrassed, certainly. But better all the same.

She couldn't help but wonder why. Why he had helped her carry clothes. Why he had sat with her there after that beating. Why he had insisted on checking her for broken bones. Why would someone like him bother? No one else did. Oh, everyone was nice to her. Went out of their way to be friendly and smile. But she knew what that really was. That was how they dealt with their own pity for her. Be kind to the battered woman. But not Daryl. He was different. He was nice to her, and no one else, but she never saw pity in those blue eyes. She thought she saw understanding. And then that kept her up too. Wondering how someone as tough as him could understand someone as weak as her.

Ed made a sound in his sleep and Carol was shocked at the rage that small sound ignited in her. She sat up, wincing, and glared in his direction. Daryl was right. His words had made her angry but he was right all the same. Something had to be done about Ed. And it had to be done soon.

She fell asleep shortly after that. She was pressed up against the tents wall, making sure she was as far away from Ed as she could get. She didn't want to risk him touching her in his sleep. She didn't want to risk him touching her ever again.

~H~

Daryl groaned as he stretched out in the hot cramped tent. He hadn't slept worth shit and his muscles were complaining to him about it. He'd tossed and turned all night long. What really pissed him off was that the very thing that kept him awake all night was really none of his damn business. He couldn't stop thinking about Carol's problems and her kids problems. Things that had nothing to do with him. He had his own issues to deal with.

He sat up and looked around the tent glumly. Then realized he didn't have any issues at all anymore. Not any that he wasn't bringing upon himself. Merle was always Daryl's issue to deal with and Merle was gone so now he was just looking for something else to occupy his time. That was all this thing was. He rubbed the back of his neck and then sighed as a vision of those bruises flashed through his mind.

"None of your business, dumbass." He mumbled out loud to himself.

When he crawled out of the tent the first thing he noticed was how busy everyone was. All of them were scampering around like squirrels looking for nuts. His eyes scanned the camp and finally he found what he hadn't even known he was searching for. She was standing in front of the clothesline that she had hung the laundry out on yesterday to dry.

"What the hell?" He frowned when he realized what she was so intent on. "The hell's that crazy woman doin' with my pants?" He grumbled as he headed her way. Inside he was pretty pleased that he had a reason to approach her. He rolled his eyes at this thought.

"Can I have my pants back?" He asked from behind her.

She spun around and her face flushed. "These are yours?" She asked after watching him warily for a few seconds.

"Yep." He held out his hand.

She gave him one of those half smiles like she had done the night before. "You know, if you wanted me to do your washin', all you had to do was say so. I wouldn't mind a bit. I think I even managed to get them clean." She handed them over.

He wanted to tell her he could do his own damn washin'. Tell her he wasn't some pussy that needed some woman to do everything for him. But those words didn't come out of his mouth. "I'll remember that." He muttered.

He had to admit, that was cleanest his pants had been in a long time. He grunted out a thanks and then was about to walk away but stopped. "Hey, what's everybody runnin' around for? We leavin' or somethin'?"

Her eyes lit up a bit and her smile grew. "We? You aren't going off to face the world alone?"

He caught himself before he returned that smile. "Figured I'd have a better chance if I stuck around."

"I'm glad." She averted her eyes and then looked towards Rick and Shane. "They said it would be best to move out in the morning. Jim and Dale spotted a few Walkers in the woods. Everyone is scared they are moving away from the city to hunt for food."

He just nodded and turned to leave.

"Daryl?"

He turned once more but he didn't look at her.

"Thanks. You know, for last night."

His eyes flicked up to hers and held them for a moment before they both looked away. He walked off towards his tent and she watched him go, feeling better than she had when she had crawled out of her tent this morning. Feeling better than she had in a long long time.

~H~

Daryl rummaged around in his bag but wasn't able to come up with any food. He'd have to go on a hunt. Which meant leaving camp for the whole day. He had all of his stuff packed already and Merle's too. There wasn't any reason to leave it behind. He figured that it was his stuff now. His stomach growled painfully.

"Sounds like I showed up just in time."

He turned around and saw Carol standing there with a plate. He wanted to blow her off and tell her he'd get his own damn food. But instead he nodded and reached for the plate she offered but she pulled it back.

He narrowed his eyes. "You come all the way over here to my camp to tease me with food?"

She laughed. A real laugh and it caused him to smirk. "Come with me. There's no need for you keeping to yourself so much if your coming with us. Your a part of a group now and it's high time you acted like it. You're a hermit."

"You're a nag." He said but followed her anyway. He couldn't help but wonder how much trouble she was going to get in for talking to him.

Everyone was gathered around eating when they made their way to the main camp. A few heads came up and then did a double take. Rick didn't seem as surprised as Shane and Lori. Even Andrea and her little sister gaped at them. He just ignored them though. The person he was looking for was a little further away than everyone else. Sitting in a lawn chair eating his food. When he looked up Daryl refused to look away.

Ed's eyes narrowed when he saw them and then narrowed even more when Daryl sat down and she actually sat next to him. Daryl just dug in. not even bothering with silverware. Carol laughed in the chair next to him.

"I take that back, you aren't a hermit." She said quietly.

"Huh?" He licked his fingers as he looked at her.

"You're a pig, Daryl Dixon. There's a fork there for a reason you know?"

He looked down at his plate. Sure enough there was a fork. He just snorted and continued on with his breakfast. Without a fork.

~H~

Carol knew Ed was watching her but she kept her eyes either on Daryl or on the ground. She was tired. Tired of him always watching her. She was tired of never knowing when she was going to get beat on again and she was definitely tired of worrying about when he would start in on Sophia. So far she had been able to protect her from the worst of Ed's wrath but it was getting harder and harder.

Rick stood up then and addressed the crowd. "I think the smartest thing we could do would be to head to the CDC. They have doctors, scientist and hopefully answers. It would be smarter to do that than wait here for a bunch of those things to show up."

"Me and mine ain't followin' you, Rick." Ed said from his chair. He was looking off towards the woods now, his face smug. "I'm takin' off somewhere else. I'm bout tired of you all always in my business."

Carol's head shot up. He hadn't mentioned this to her. And this was it. She was as good as dead now and she knew it. Fear caused her pulse to pick up. When her eyes met Daryl's his were wide and his mouth was set in a grim line. She couldn't look away even though she knew everyone was looking at her as the two of them stared at each other.

"No." She said quietly and then she stood up and was glaring at Ed. "No." She said louder.

Ed's head snapped around and he was out of his seat, glowering. "What did you just say to me?"

Daryl was watching her, she could feel his eyes on her face. She was standing in front of him, too close to him. Her thigh was brushed up against his knee.

"I said no. You go where you want, Ed. Sophia and I aren't going anywhere."

Ed took a couple of steps closer but then stopped. He must have noticed then how close she was standing to Daryl because his gaze flew down to the other man. Daryl looked at him at the same time, sensing the other man glaring.

"Me and you are gonna sit down and talk about this. You don't make rules. I do." Ed said angrily.

Sophia was sitting near Carl on the van seat that someone had dragged over. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she looked from her mom back to her dad.

"Don't think I don't see what's goin' on here, bitch. Everybody in camp knows what you've been up too. I can hear'em whisperin' about it."

Carol crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know what your talking about, Ed. The only thing going on here is I'm done with this. All of it."

"You best get your ass over here, Carol." Ed said as that smug look returned. "That boy there don't want your stupid ass. You're makin' yourself look real dumb right now. Bout as stupid as the redneck that has you actin' like you got some choice here. You don't."

Carol's mouth fell open. "He don't have a thing to do with this and you know it."

"Get over here. Now." Ed demanded, voice quieter than it had been.

She felt herself put one foot in front of the other, even though she didn't want too. Didn't want to go to him. She knew that if she did that it was over and she would leave with him. Another step and she heard Daryl make an angry sound in the back of his throat. She took one more step and then she heard him get up from the chair. She knew he was going to leave now. He had seen the state of her body last night and she knew how disgusted he was because she was walking, slowly, towards her own demise.

Then she felt his hand grip her own and then she looked back just as he was about to storm off, but not alone. He dragged her along with him and she followed, to afraid to do anything else, as he stomped back to his own camp.


	5. Chapter 5

**See, you guys! When my chapters are shorter I can update more! I hope you like it. Just stick with me, you know I'm building up to something ;)**

Chapter Five

He didn't stop at his camp. He kept on going, his grip on her hand was firm but he made sure he wasn't hurting her. He had no idea what the fuck he was doing and he wanted to just keep going so he wouldn't have to talk to her. Why had he done this?

He knew why. Because this stupid woman had a damn death wish. She was going to do it. Ed had told her to come and she was actually going to go to him. And all day long everything would be just fine but then what about when no one was looking? He was going to kill her. Why didn't she see that? Why the hell did he care? He wanted to stop right there and kick his own ass. Kick it from here to the coast because now people were really going to be talking.

He finally stopped and dropped her hand. When he turned around she actually took a few steps back. His face must have showed the anger he was now feeling. He wasn't even sure where the anger was directed. Himself, this stupid woman or her ass of a husband.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He hissed, leaning into her face. "Do you wanna die at the hands of that son of a bitch? You want that little girl to have to fend for herself? Jesus Christ, Carol."

She flinched at the anger in his voice but then her chin came up and she didn't really glare but she caught him off guard with that steely look she gave him. "I told him no. I'm not leaving with him. You heard me say that."

He threw his arms up in exasperation. "I heard. We all heard. And then I also saw. You were gonna do exactly what he said to do, weren't you? You was gonna walk your crazy ass right over there and you were gonna just keep on with this insane shit. Stick with it till he kills you."

"What does it matter to you? I ain't your concern. I can take care of myself." She bit out angrily.

He took a step closer, grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it up. He didn't look down, he kept his eyes on hers. "This is you takin' care of yourself?" He asked bitterly as he brushed his fingers lightly across her bruises. She looked down and then back up, not wanting to see the mess of her body. The trail his fingers made left goosebumps on her stomach and she shivered.

He dropped his hands and stepped away, averting his eyes. She was right. She wasn't his concern. He'd been telling himself the same thing for two days now. But hearing it from her was confirmation. He turned around and then he felt her hand on his arm. He jerked away and then faced her.

"Daryl, I..."

"Your right." He shook his head. "You ain't no concern of mine. I don't even know what the hell I'm doin'. You go ahead and do what you need to do to make that husband of yours happy, Carol. And the water's all yours tonight after you run off to lick your wounds. I'll keep away."

He stormed off back towards camp, leaving her standing there in the woods.

~H~

Rick and Lori looked up when they saw Daryl emerge from the woods. Ed had went back to his tent to fume in peace. Daryl looked as mad as he usually did but there was an edge to his look that Rick hadn't seen before.

"You guys have any idea what that's all about?" Amy asked as her and Andrea noticed Daryl slinging bags into the back of his truck.

Lori shook her head. "I have no idea. I hate to say it, I really do, but I believe Daryl just got that woman in more trouble than she's gonna know how to deal with."

Amy shook her head and leaned into her sister, smiling slightly. "I don't know. Did you see her today? She looked right at him and told him no. And have you noticed the way Daryl is around her. I think I saw him smile today."

Lori nodded. "Dale said that he swears Daryl helped her with the laundry and everything."

Andrea laughed and hugged her sister closer. "And he punched Ed in the face yesterday. You think something is really going on with those two?"

Everyone just watched Daryl as he stomped around camp throwing this and that into the back of the old pick up truck.

~H~

Carol didn't follow him right away. Angry tears were trying to escape her eyes. Who the hell did he think he was? Things were bad enough. She didn't need him making them worse. And her damn skin was still tingling where he had touched her. He didn't have any right to touch her. Or to make this situation more confusing than it already was.

She wiped the tears away before they could escape. What she needed to do was to stay away from him. It had felt good at first. Thinking that maybe she had found a real friend. Someone who got her even though she didn't really get herself. Someone who understood the things she was going through without her having to explain anything to him. Someone who would sit with her in the dark like it was the most normal thing in the world.

She made a frustrated sound and then started to head back the way she had came. She wasn't going to stand out here in the woods and shed tears for the likes of Daryl Dixon. Ed was right. She was making a real fool of herself. Daryl didn't care about her. And she didn't need him anyway. She would stay away from him and Ed both and if neither one of them liked it then to hell with them. Carol was her own person. And it was about damn time she started acting like it.

When she found her way back to camp she stormed right past Daryl, who had just gathered up some things from around his tent. He looked at her like he might say something but she ignored him and stormed right past. He wasn't the only one that got to walk away from somebody. She almost turned around but she forced herself to move. Forced one foot in front of the other. She didn't need to hear what it was he had to say. She didn't want to hear it. But she didn't trust herself to look back, just in case those blue eyes were trained on her. She shook her head. The hell was wrong with her?

Rick, Lori, Andrea and Amy watched her storm out of the woods and she could swear that she still felt Daryl's eyes on her as she stalked off. Didn't these people have anything better to do?

"Mom?"

Carol stopped in her tracks at the sound of her daughters voice. She let out a deep breath and then smiled. "Hi, honey." She said, forcing herself to at least look like she was fine.

"Are you okay?" Sophia asked quietly. She was standing there with Carl, who was acting like he was interested in something further towards camp.

Carol nodded. "I'm okay. Are you okay?"

Sophia nodded and then glanced behind her towards Daryl. "Are you and Mr. Dixon fighting?" She frowned.

Carol looked up in time to meet Daryl's eyes and then she looked away. "No. Him and I are just..."

"Daddy said that he's your new boy toy. What does that even mean?"

Carol felt her face turn red. "That means your daddy is a moron, Sophia. Don't listen to anything he says anymore, you understand?"

Sophia nodded solemnly and Carol turned to walk away. She wasn't sure where Ed had gone but there were still things she needed to gather up so they could head out early. She wasn't even sure who she was riding with at this point. If she was lucky Ed would just leave out on his own. She didn't look up at anyone as she walked by. She didn't want to see the questions in their faces and she didn't want to see the pity in their eyes. They would learn soon enough that Carol was turning over a new leaf. They would have to find someone else to feel sorry for before long.

She made it to her camp and started gathering up some things around the tent. She heard the zipper and stifled a groan. She was really hoping Ed had gone somewhere else but there he was, lumbering out of the tent, giving her his trademark glare.

"That didn't take long." He said in a hushed voice.

She didn't say anything at first but then he was right there, towering over her. "What do you want, Ed?" She asked tiredly.

He grabbed her upper arm but not before he glanced around to make sure no one was looking. "I want you to stop actin' like some whore. You need me to remind you where your place is?"

Carol felt herself flinch back from his words but then she straightened up and looked him in the eye. "I don't need to be reminded of where my place is, Ed. But do I need to remind you what these men around here will do to you if they catch you trying to put your hands on me again?"

His grip tightened on her arm but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was hurting her.

"There a problem here?"

Carol turned her head just as Ed dropped her arm. Shane was standing a few feet away, gun on his hip. He was pointing a questioning look towards Ed.

"No. Not a problem here." Ed said in a low voice.

"Yes, there is." Carol said as she stepped away from Ed. "But I think I can handle it okay on my own." Carol continued to pick up their things.

"Carol, why don't you and Sophia ride out with me in the mornin'. That way we'll know there wont be a problem. Anything that belongs to the two of you can go in the Jeep tonight. I didn't have much so there's plenty of room." Shane said as he kept his eye on Ed.

"And you don't think her new boyfriend will have a problem with that?" Ed sneered.

Shane gave him a humorless smile. "You know, I don't think me and Daryl Dixon agree on a lot of things. But one thing I'm pretty sure of is that as long as she ain't with you, then neither one of us has much to worry about where she's concerned."

"She's my wife. Ain't neither one of you have any right to interfere with my marriage. That ain't your jurisdiction, Officer. And it sure as hell ain't no concern of some redneck trash like that Dixon boy."

"You see, that's where your dead wrong Ed. Dead wrong. It's my job to keep everybody in this camp safe. And I don't feel like she's all that safe in your company." Shane kept that sardonic smile in place as he put one foot on the fender of Ed's car and rested his arms on his leg as though he wasn't planning on going anywhere.

Ed gave Shane one last cold look before he walked away. Shane waited until he was out of sight before he looked at Carol.

"Are you really okay?" He asked.

She flashed him a smile and nodded. "I'm fine. It's just going to take him a while to get used to it is all."

Shane's brows shot up. "Get used to what?"

Carol picked up a bag she had filled with odds and ends and glanced in the direction Ed had went. "To me not being his punching bag anymore."

She handed Shane the bag and then picked up another before she walked around him. She went to his Jeep and tossed it in. He sat the other bag down next to it and turned to her with a smile. "I think I'm gonna enjoy watchin' this unfold, Carol."

She shook her head. "I'm glad somebody will."


	6. Chapter 6

**This one is a little bit longer! And Sophia is a really hard character to write. For me anyway! So some of you will think that her reactions to certain things is unrealistic in this chapter. And you are probably right but the kid has a lot of fear going on when it comes to her father and I tried to make it as though that fear over rides any paternal love she has for him. So with that said, I hope you enjoy =) Read and review!**

Chapter Six

"Hey, you need help packing?"

Daryl spun around at the sound of the voice. The little girl was standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. She was shifting from one foot to the other nervously. He glanced around but for once the cop's son wasn't with her.

"Nah." He shook his head and tried to rearrange the scowl he knew was on his face. He didn't want to scare the kid away but he didn't really know how to communicate with them either.

"Okay." She said quietly and then turned to leave. She seemed disappointed which made him feel like an ass. Maybe she just wanted something to occupy her time so she wouldn't have to think about leaving with her dad.

"Hey," He called to her without really thinking.

She turned, looking hopeful.

"I got some jugs I was gonna fill up. Figure we best boil us some water before takin' off in the mornin'. You feel like helpin with that?"

She grinned and nodded but then she looked past him and the grin slipped a little. He turned around to see what was bothering the kid and then got a little bothered himself. Carol was leaning up against a Jeep looking as though she was deep in conversation with that idiot cop. And not the poor bastard that just got to camp a few days ago but the other one. Shane.

He didn't like Shane. He was a hot head and a smart ass that thought he could throw his weight around. He had to admit that he was glad Shane had done what he did to Ed. He just wished he would have been the one to do it himself. He was too busy glaring at Shane to notice that Carol had turned to look at him. Her face was still a storm cloud when he finally met her eyes. He turned away from her and looked at the girl again. The kid didn't look very happy.

"You think you might need to go ask your momma if it's alright?" He asked her.

She sighed and then walked away towards Shane and Carol. He gathered up some gallon jugs. He didn't figure Carol would let the kid go with him. He was glad because then he wouldn't have to deal with the kid but he wouldn't have to look like the asshole by turning down what help she offered.

When he looked back up he cursed to himself. Carol was walking over with her girl, who was grinning again so he was sure Carol had given her the okay.

"You sure you don't mind her tagging along?" Carol asked.

He looked from her to the girl and then nodded. "She can help if she wants too." He grumbled as he shoved two empty jugs towards the girl.

Carol nodded and smiled at the girl but when she looked back up at him it disappeared. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

He blew out a breath and put his hands on his hips. He didn't want to talk anymore. He wanted to stay the hell away from her.

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms and looked down at the little girl once more. "Fine, Daryl. We don't have to talk anymore. But can you please do me a favor?"

He scowled but nodded.

"I'm not sure where Ed went. If you see him down there can you..." She looked at Sophia again and then sighed. "Sophia, can you run back to our tent and pack up a few more of your things for me? Put them in Shane's Jeep. Daryl wont leave without you."

Sophia nodded and then scurried off.

"Shane's Jeep?" Daryl asked, his brows came down in a frown and he almost flinched away when she reached up and smoothed out the lines with the tip of her finger. He stayed still though, not wanting to hurt her feelings any more than he already had today.

"I told you. I said no. I'm not getting in a car with Ed. Even if he agrees to follow the group."

He looked away then, not wanting her to see the relief on his face. Not even understanding himself why he felt relieved to begin with.

"I don't know where Ed is. If you and Sophia see him down there, no matter what he says, will you make sure he don't get near her? I'm afraid of what he's going to do now. I don't want him getting close enough to snatch her up."

He nodded. "I can do that. But if I kill him do you think your new friend there will arrest me?" Where did that come from? He needed to just stop talking to this woman. But it was hard to keep his mouth shut when she was around.

He expected her to get angry but she didn't. Instead she gave him a smile. "Just keep her safe for me, okay?"

He nodded once more and then turned to leave but her hand on his arm stopped him. He looked at the hand and then back up to her face.

"I don't mind sharin' the water, Daryl. I think it's big enough down there for the two of us. If you don't mind sharin' with me, of course."

What the hell did she mean by that? From the way she talked earlier he got the impression that she wanted him to leave her be. Hell, leaving her alone was probably the best thing he could do for himself. Did she want him to be there tonight? She was confusing the shit out of him. "You gonna be there later?" Why the hell did he ask her that? And why was her hand still on his arm?

Her eyes widened a bit but she quickly caught herself. "Are you going to be there later?"

He didn't mean to do it but it was there before he could catch himself. A grin. As her eyes lit up he wished his brother was there. Merle would have put an end to this craziness before it even got started. Why was he still grinning? "I'll be there later." He cursed himself repeatedly in his head. He shouldn't have said that. He also shouldn't still be grinning like a weirdo.

"Okay, mom. I got everything." Sophia said and then she stopped and took in the scene before her.

Carol dropped her hand away and Daryl backed up a step. Carol's face was flushed and he could feel that his was too. What the fuck? It wasn't like they'd got caught making out. This thought made his face grow even more red.

"Lets go." He grumbled as he picked up a few jugs. Sophia did the same and took off after him towards the path.

Neither of them said anything until they were about half way down. And of course it was the kid that had something to say.

"I saw you and mom earlier. In the woods." She said casually.

Daryl tensed. He hadn't heard anyone else around but then again he was pretty preoccupied. "You sneak around a lot?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No sir, but you looked pretty mad and I was worried about my mom."

He snorted. "I wouldn't ever hurt your mom kid. She's a lot tougher than she looks."

Sophia glanced up at him and frowned. "I know that now. You care about my mom."

This caused him to stop and turn to her. "No I don't." He scoffed.

She didn't look like she believed him and her next words proved it. "Yes you do. I see the way your always watching her. And you do things for her. And sometimes you even smile at her. And you don't smile. Ever."

He gave her the dirtiest look he could muster. "I don't care about your mom."

"I heard you in the woods. You care about my mom. And I saw her. I saw what my dad did to her." Her voice was thick now and she swallowed loudly, trying to regain her tough girl composure.

Daryl really did want to kick his ass then. He'd forgotten about that. When he had tried to make Carol look at what that bastard had done to her the girl must have seen it too. How could he have been so stupid?

He started walking again and she hurried to keep pace with him. "My moms been acting different since she's been talking to you. I think you're good for her. A lot better than that Shane guy."

Daryl stopped again. At this rate he wouldn't ever make it to the water before dark. "What are you doin' kid? Shoppin' around for a new daddy or somethin'?"

He knew it was a mean thing to say but he couldn't help it. She was starting to get on his nerves. But his words didn't dissuade her. She just shook her head. "No. I don't need a new dad. I'm just curious about you two, that's all."

He started walking once again. "There ain't no us two when it comes to me and your momma, kid. We talk is all. Grown ass people are allowed to talk to one another without anything coming of it."

"Well that's a real shame, Mr. Dixon because I think Shane is a little more interested in my mom than you are and I really don't like that guy very much."

Daryl almost stopped again but he kept going. "If Shane is interested in your momma and your momma is interested back then what the hell does that have to do with me?" He couldn't believe he was having this conversation with this kid. He'd never heard the skinny little brat say more than two words in the weeks they had been here and now she wouldn't shut her trap. And she was talking crazy just like her damn momma. "And quit callin' me Mr. Dixon. It sounds stupid."

She nodded but kept on with her rambling. "So, do you think she means it? Do you really think she will finally stop letting my dad do those things to her?"

He sighed. "I hope so."

"Me too." She muttered and then was thankfully quiet for the rest of the trip down. When they made their way to the waters edge they saw Andrea and Amy in a boat out in the middle of the water. Sophia stopped in her tracks, almost causing Daryl to collide with her, when she spotted Ed sitting on a boulder smoking.

Ed seemed to have seen them at the same time and stood up. Daryl gave Sophia a small shove towards the water. "Just fill up those jugs, kid. He ain't gonna do a thing to you." He said in a low voice.

Ed didn't make a move at first. He just stood there watching, his face set in an angry mask.

Sophia was back to her silent self as she filled up two of the jugs. She kept glancing fearfully over her shoulder as Ed watched the two of them.

"You're alright." Daryl reassured her.

She nodded but that scared look never left her face. For some reason that really pissed Daryl off. A kid shouldn't have to worry about the things that this girl did. Her own dad shouldn't be the cause of that look on her face. He felt the familiar weight of the crossbow on his back and wondered for just a second how much bullshit he would have to deal with if he just turned around and shot the sick son of a bitch in the head. Then this girl wouldn't have to worry anymore and Carol would really be free of him for good.

"Sophia!" Ed called as they stood back up with their full jugs.

Sophia looked up at Daryl instead of at Ed.

"Get your ass over here, girl. You hear me!" Ed bellowed.

Daryl sat the jugs back down and faced Ed. "She's busy, dumb ass." He called back and then Sophia ducked behind him, like she could hide from the other man.

"That's my kid. You run off to the woods and do what you want with that dumb ass woman of mine, but that's my daughter, and you ain't got no business with her." He took a few steps closer.

"Ed, you stay the hell back from the kid. There ain't nobody down here that can stop me from beatin' you to death and that's exactly what's gonna happen to your fat ass if you come near her."

Ed stopped. He was a woman beater, not a fighter. He watched as Daryl handed Sophia one of the water jugs and then took the other three himself. They took off towards the path and Ed let them go just like Daryl knew the coward would.

Sophia kept glancing behind them, that fearful look causing Daryl to grind his teeth together.

"You just keep walkin' kid. And maybe you should keep your ass close for the rest of the day. He ain't gonna forget about this."

She nodded and walked with him in silence. He almost wished that she would start her chatter again. At least that had kept that look off her face.

"And I don't think you gotta worry bout Shane. Your momma's way to smart to fall for some playboy like him." He elbowed her and smiled.

She smiled back and switched the jug to her other hand. "I know." She sighed. "Everyone knows about him and Carl's mom anyway. Well, everyone but Carl and Rick."

"What?" Daryl couldn't keep the shock out of his voice.

"I'm pretty quiet. That means I listen better than some people do. I've known about it from the start. I saw them. I was looking for Carl in the woods and then there they were. They were..." She wrinkled her nose and her face turned a bright shade of red.

"Man. You should really stay out of them woods kid." He shook his head, embarrassed himself.

"So. What exactly do you and my mom do when you're down there at night?" She asked suddenly, catching him off guard.

He frowned. How the hell did she know about that? And then he felt his own face redden when he thought about what must have brought that question on.

"Nothin'. We talk. How did you know about that?"

"I heard you guys talking before. And I heard you in the woods, remember?" She glanced up at him. "So, you're meeting her there tonight, huh?"

Daryl groaned. Had he really just been wishing this kid would talk? He shook his head. "Shut up." He grumbled.

She smiled again but this time she did keep her mouth shut.

~H~

Carol was pacing. She was nervous. She never should have sent Sophia off with Daryl. What if Ed found them and did something to Daryl and was already gone with her daughter. It was taking a lot longer than she thought it would.

Just then she saw them round the bend. Sophia was actually smiling but Daryl's face was ten different shades of red. She hurried over to them and took the jug from Sophia. "Did you two have fun?" She asked, clearly relieved.

Daryl grunted. "Ed was down there but he didn't try anything."

"He did too. He tried to get me to go to him but then Mr... I mean, Daryl threatened to kill him so he left us alone."

Carol groaned. She should have expected as much. Daryl wasn't the type to hold back, even when there were young ears present. "Well, that's good. I guess. Thank you, Daryl."

"I'm going to go find Carl now." Sophia said as she was about to run off.

"Hey," Daryl called after her. She turned giving him a curious look.

"Remember what I said, okay? Keep your ass close."

She grinned and nodded and then took off.

"What was that all about?" Carol asked as she watched her daughter stop to talk to Rick and Carl.

He shrugged and took off back towards his camp. "Ed was pretty pissed. I told her to stay close in case he tried somethin'."

Carol was speechless. This man was much much more complex than people gave him credit for. She never thought he would ever express any concern for her, and now he was trying to look out for Sophia too. "You don't have to do that, you know?"

He sat the water down close to his fire and looked up. "Don't have to do what?"

"You don't have to watch out for her. I can do that."

"Like you watch out for yourself?" He said, a little more harshly than usual.

She crossed her arms. "I'm really trying here, Daryl." She said quietly. And she was. And she didn't know why she so desperately wanted him to believe that. She had done more today than she ever had her entire marriage and she was proud of herself. And she did it because of him. She wasn't sure why but it was true. He made her want to change.

He knelt down and threw a few more logs onto the fire and then pulled over a heavy iron pot. He finally looked up when he realized she wasn't going anywhere. He nodded and then looked away. "I know. Your doin' pretty good." He looked back up. "But it ain't in my nature to cut people slack. You could always do better."

She smiled. "I'll take what I can get. Coming from you that's actually pretty flattering."

He shook his head but she could see a smile of his own creeping along his lips.

"So, I guess I need to go find something to do." She said, stalling. She really liked spending time with Daryl. He was pretty fun to try to figure out.

He just nodded and continued on with preparing his pot of water.

"So..."

He looked up and actually laughed a little. "What the hell, woman? Spit it out."

"So, I'll see you later?" She felt so so stupid right now. She didn't know what was wrong with her.

"Carol, we live in the same camp. Chances are, we'll run into each other again eventually."

He was teasing her and it wasn't helping a bit. "I meant tonight. Since it's our last night here. I thought maybe," She was stumbling over her words and felt herself flush, "I thought that maybe we could..."

"You wanna walk with me tonight?" He shut his mouth quickly as soon as the words were out and then she watched a flush of his own creep up his face.

"Yes." And that was all she said before she turned around and hurried away. She thought she heard him mutter something to himself but she didn't stick around to ask him what he said. She felt like a real idiot. She felt as stupid as Ed always implied she was. Hadn't she decided earlier that she was going to try to avoid Daryl Dixon? That he was his own brand of trouble? And now she felt her pulse quicken at the thought of getting to be with him alone later. Jesus, she was a mess.


	7. Chapter 7

**I know, I know. I'm not pacing myself very well. Here is another chapter that I hope you like! =) **

Chapter Seven

Carol was helping clean the huge haul of fish that Andrea and Amy had brought back earlier. Lori, Andrea, Amy and Jackie had been giving her strange looks the whole day. She kept her eyes trained on the fish but she could feel their eyes on her.

"So, you and Daryl, huh?" It was Amy who finally said something.

Carol didn't move her head but her eyes flicked up to Amy's face.

"Amy!" Andrea admonished.

"What? We all want to know." Amy said as she continued on cleaning her pile of fish.

"There isn't anything going on between me and Daryl." Carol said quietly. She knew this was coming. Someone couldn't even talk to someone else around here without other people, especially the women, jumping to conclusions. She wondered to herself why no one had ever said anything to Lori about Shane.

Lori gave her a small smile. "He's really coming out of his shell since his brother's gone."

Carol carefully slit open the belly of her own fish, picking her words carefully. "I guess he would have too. He's all alone now and no one in this group have done much to make him feel very welcome."

"Except for you." Amy said with a grin.

"He's nice." Carol shrugged. "And he's smarter than people think. And he's funny. And he's..." She let her voice trail off. She really wasn't helping her own case here. She was practically gushing over the man.

Jackie wiped her hands off on a dishtowel and looked up at Carol. "Sometimes people don't know another person's kindness until they show them their own. I think you and that Dixon can do a lot of good for one another. Already have if you ask me, honey."

Carol looked up at her. Jackie was probably the kindest person she had ever met. She had liked her from the moment they had met out on the highway, before ever coming here. And her words seemed to touch Carol to her core.

"Okay," Amy said with another small smile. "So if you aren't interested in Daryl then how about Shane? I heard him say that you were riding with him tomorrow."

Lori's head shot up. "You and Shane?" She asked as she tried to regain her composure.

"God, no!" Carol nearly ground the knife into the table.

All the women, except Lori, chuckled softly.

"What are you ladies laughing about?" Rick asked as he came up behind his wife and placed a kiss on the back of her head. Carol flushed a little but smiled. She really liked Rick. She felt a little bad for him but him and Lori seemed to be doing fine.

"We were trying to get Carol to spill but she isn't giving anything up." Amy said without looking up.

"Maybe that's because there isn't anything to spill about." Rick said as he wrapped his arms around Lori's shoulders. "Men and women really can be friends without it leading to other things."

"Thank you, Rick." Carol said sincerely. He gave her a wink and then walked away.

"Lori, I was wondering if you could maybe do me a favor?" Carol asked quietly. She glanced around to make sure Ed wasn't anywhere close by. He had been stalking around camp all evening and she was growing increasingly worried.

"Sure Carol. What do you need?"

Carol gave her a sheepish smile. "Do you think maybe Sophia could sleep in your tent tonight. I'm not sure what Ed may do and I'm not sure where I'm sleeping myself and I'd feel better knowing she was near Rick."

Lori nodded. "Of course. We would never let anything happen to her. You could stay too. The tent is pretty big."

Carol shook her head. "I'll be fine. I just wanted to make sure Sophia had a safe place to stay."

Andrea looked over at her. "Amy and I have been sleeping in the R.V. I have an extra tent I could lend you. We don't need it."

Carol smiled. "That sounds fantastic. Better than sleeping on the ground, which was what I thought I would be doing tonight."

Amy grinned. "Oh, I'm sure Daryl would make roo..."

"Amy!" Andrea snapped.

~H~

Daryl kept his back to the woods, his eyes on the fire in front of him but his ears were listening to the sounds behind him intently. Whoever was creeping around in the woods behind him wasn't doing a very good job of keeping themselves concealed. He heard every footstep the person made. From the sounds of it he was pretty sure he knew who it was. It was Ed. Stalking him like some big smelly sasquatch. Daryl rolled his eyes and threw a few sticks on the fire.

"You gonna keep this up all night, dumb ass?" He finally asked without turning around.

The footsteps stopped for a little while and then Daryl could hear them moving away. He smirked. That man really was that stupid. Sneaking up on someone like Daryl wasn't an easy thing to do. Unless you were Sophia. She had managed to do an okay job.

At the thought of the girl he looked up towards the main camp. She was sitting at a small table playing cards with the cop's kid. She had made good on her agreement to keep close. What he had meant was for her to keep close to her momma but she had spend the whole day keeping close to him instead. He didn't really mind. She wasn't right under his feet or anything. She just stayed where he could see her. And he felt better knowing he was watching her anyway. Even if she was with Carol, Ed could snatch her away. Carol really wasn't strong enough to stop him. Not yet.

It was the millionth time since this afternoon that his mind had wondered to her. He'd made a fool of himself earlier. But she seemed okay with it. She had been stuttering at him about seeing him later and the question just popped out of his mouth before he even thought it out. He hoped she didn't think he was trying to come onto her or anything. It wasn't like that. Was it? He shook his head. Of course not. But he had to admit that he liked having her around. She was easy to talk to. Obviously, since when she was around he couldn't seem to shut his stupid mouth. She didn't look at him like everybody else did. She didn't judge him the way he knew the others did.

A noise caught his attention further down the treeline and when he looked he saw Ed emerge about twenty yards away and head over to the main camp himself. When he looked over Daryl couldn't help but to smile at the man and then flip him off. Ed just looked away and stalked off.

"Sophia!" Daryl called.

The girls head shot up and he motioned for her to come over. She didn't waste any time. Especially when she looked over and saw Ed.

She didn't ask any questions. She just sat down on a log across the fire from him. Carl joined her a few minutes later, looking excited. Daryl had ran him out of his camp quite a few times so the boy must have been glad to be there. They started chatting amongst themselves quietly, leaving Daryl alone once more with his thoughts.

The sun was almost down and it was getting darker. Daryl was about to ask Sophia where her and Carol had planned on camping out but someone else called for the girl before he had a chance to ask.

Lori was standing at the edge of the main camp. She waved. "Carl, Sophia!" She motioned for them to follow her and Carl took off towards his mother.

Sophia watched him go and then looked over at Daryl. He shrugged. "Just scream if you need me." She grinned and ran off to join her friend.

Daryl shook his head and repressed a smile of his own. She was a decent kid. As far as he could tell anyway. He didn't know very many kids.

Daryl heard someone else approaching but he didn't have to look up to know who it was. He knew the sound of her footsteps by now.

"You hungry?" She asked as she sat right down next to him on the ground and handed him a plate.

"Fish?"

She nodded and handed him a fork off her own plate. He ignored her and used his fingers instead. Mostly just to get a rise out of her. She rolled her eyes and sat the fork down on his plate.

He noticed that there was a lot more food on his plate than hers. "Why'd you give me so much if all you got is one piece?" He asked around a mouth full of food.

She shrugged. "Figured you would be hungrier than me."

He grunted and then snatched the fork off her plate and used it to spear some of his fish with. He filled her plate until they had the same amount. She tried to hide a smile but he caught it.

"What?" He asked.

"You're sweet, Daryl." She shook her head at him. "I don't know how I didn't notice that before."

"I ain't sweet. I can't sit here and enjoy my food while you starve yourself for no reason."

"I'm not starving myself." She laughed.

They ate in silence for a while, their arms barely brushing but each hyper aware of the others presence. It was a lot better than eating with Merle. He was always trying to fill in the silence with bullshit and it usually caused Daryl to lose his appetite pretty quick. But having her around wasn't bad at all. And when she did say something it was usually something that made him laugh, or at least want too. He didn't laugh much.

"Did you remember to feed Ed?" He asked, catching her off guard.

She glared at him for a second and then shook her head. "Don't start on me, Daryl. I threw out the bones towards the edge of camp. Let him eat that."

He shook his head. "Hell hath no fury, I suppose."

She bumped her shoulder against his causing him to drop his last bite of food from his fingers. He narrowed his eyes at her and she thought he was actually angry until he grabbed her fork from her hand and stuck her last bit of food in his mouth.

She laughed, quite loudly and then she covered her mouth with her hand.

Their heads came up when they heard someone clear their throat a few feet away. Andrea was standing there smiling. "I figured I would bring you this. I didn't mean to interrupt anything." She held out a green canvas bag.

"The fuck is that?" Daryl grumbled. He didn't care too much for blondie. She was a know it all bitch as far as he was concerned and he didn't like the way she was looking at them just now. As soon as he started feeling comfortable someone had to show up and screw it up for him.

Andrea sighed. "It's a tent."

"Oh!" Carol stood up quickly and took it from her. "Thank you. I almost forgot about this." She looked around warily.

"Don't thank me yet. I haven't used it in a while and it looks like we might get some rain later. I really hope it don't leak. If it dies then we can always make room for you in the R.V."

Carol nodded and sat down the bag next to the fire. She hoped Andrea was wrong. She had been looking forward to tonight all day.

Daryl watched Andrea walk away and then Carol sat back down next to him again. They were outside. There was plenty of room, but that didn't seem to matter. She sat right there next to him. On one hand, he liked it. He liked her. She was funny and smart and about the nicest person that had ever talked to him in his life. And her eyes were really something else. He had a hard time looking at them for too long. It always seemed like she was looking right into his head. And her smile was enough to make him sick. But in a good way. And the way her bottom lip pushed out a little when she was thinking too hard.

"Daryl?" Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned his head. He hadn't realized that he had been staring at her mouth.

"What?" He growled.

"I asked you if you really thought it was gonna rain tonight?" She asked as she looked at him.

He kept his own eyes on the fire, feeling a lot less comfortable than he had earlier. Now she probably thought he was a freak. Hell, he was a freak. Thinking about things like that. "I don't know."

Just then thunder rolled in the distance and she sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't risk going anywhere tonight."

"Maybe that'd be for the best." He grumbled, feeling the last of this rare good mood fade away.

"So, do you think Rick is onto something? Do you think we'll get any answers at the CDC?" She asked as she rubbed her hands over her arms. There was a breeze picking up and it brought cooler air in with it.

"I don't think so. I don't think anybody knows what's goin' on out there anymore." He said as he watched goosebumps raising on his own arms.

She nodded. "That's what I was thinking but I didn't want to say anything to him about it. He seems really hopeful."

Daryl just shrugged.

"I guess I need to go find somewhere to put this up." She patted the bag that held the tent.

He looked over at her and then up to the main camp. "I don't know. Maybe you should put it up here. It's higher up so if it does rain they may get flooded out down there." He made it sound like a sweet deal. But really he just didn't want anything to happen to her and he didn't trust anyone at camp to keep their guard up. His was always up. If someone came sneaking around he would hear them.

She nodded. "Sounds good." She got up, picking the bag up with her and took it a few feet behind where they were sitting.

"Carol?" He looked over his shoulder.

"What? Isn't this a good place?" She asked.

He shook his head. "You put yourself right by the trees. If someone wanted to snatch you outta there it wouldn't be too hard and you might be too far away for me to hear."

"Then where?" She asked, dropping the bag at her feet and placing her hands on her hips.

He got up with a sigh and snatched the bag up. He walked around the fire and dumped the contents out right next to his own tent. He didn't look for the instructions. She had been dreading trying to erect the tent herself. She had never been any good at things like that but he obviously knew his way around a tent. He had it up quickly, the entrance to it was only about two feet away from the entrance to his. It was small. Barely big enough for one person but it was home for tonight.

"You think you two will fit in there?" He asked as he rubbed the back of his neck and studied the small tent. His wasn't a whole lot bigger.

"Sophia's staying with Rick and Lori. I figured Ed wouldn't try anything if she was with Rick."

He nodded and then looked off towards the woods. "He's already been stalkin' around out there tonight. I heard him a while back."

She tensed and stepped a little closer to him, scanning the woods herself. He almost reached out to pull her closer but that thought freaked him out so bad he took a few steps away. She didn't notice though. Her eyes were trained on the blackness of the woods.

"It's alright. You're close enough. I can hear him if he tries anything."

She looked up at him with those impossibly wide eyes. "If he gets his hands on me tonight he'll kill me for the way I've been today." She whispered.

He moved closer but made sure he kept his distance. "He ain't getting' near you." He said in a gruff voice.

Thunder rolled again and she flinched.

He shook his head as the first few drops of rain hit them. "Guess that means it's bedtime. Unless you wanna get soaked."

The corner of her mouth went up in a half smile. "Goodnight, Daryl."

He nodded and watched as she crawled into the tiny tent and zipped it closed. He stood out there for a while, listening, until the rain became a steady downpour. Then he crawled into his own tent and rearranged his bedding so he could sleep with his head near the entrance. He'd hear if anyone came for her. And then he would have the excuse he needed to kill the asshole.


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, it's finally time for someone to get naked! It really isn't what you were thinking... perverts;) No really, it is just too much fun putting these two in the most awkward situations. As always I really hope you are all enjoying this. It's so fun. Thanks for your great reviews and all the likes and follows and stuff! **

Chapter Eight

Carol curled up in the small tent and hugged her knees up to her chest. She couldn't believe how stupid she was! She had no blankets or even a pillow and by the time she crawled in and realized that she felt too stupid to crawl back out and try to round any up. So she tried to just shut her eyes and will herself to sleep. She had no doubts that she was going to be sore in the morning.

Another crack of thunder had her jumping. She hated that sound. The wind was picking up too and even though the tent kept it from her she couldn't help but shiver as it whipped around. The rain hadn't been too bad but she could here it getting harder and then she groaned when she felt a few fat drops of moisture hit the side of her face. This was turning out to be a really bad idea. She should have just took Lori up on her offer. Andrea had said if there was any problems with the tent then she could squeeze into the R.V. But there were already six people sleeping in there and she didn't want to wake anyone.

More fat drops of water fell on her and she sat up and scooted into the corner. Maybe one of the cars would be a better place to hole up until the storm passed. But then there was Ed to worry about. She didn't think he would bother getting himself wet just to stalk her but she wasn't sure how mad he was. He usually wasn't one to make himself uncomfortable so she could only hope that he was holed up in his own tent.

She looked up as more rain started falling inside her meager shelter and this time she groaned out loud. She was so tired. It had been an emotional day and all she could think about was sleep. She curled up once again but now the rain that was on the floor was puddling around her body, seeping into her clothes and making her even more cold than she was to start with. She didn't have a choice now. She had to make due sleeping in a vehicle and hope that Ed would stay away. If she could make it to a car then all she had to do after that was lock the doors. Her discomfort at being drenched was winning out over her fear of her husband.

She crawled over to the opening and unzipped it as slow as she could. She was sure Daryl was asleep by now and over the rain and wind he wouldn't have been able to hear that small noise. She hoped he didn't worry too much when he woke up to find her gone but she felt bad about waking him up to tell him she was leaving. She eased out of the tent as quietly as she could and when she was about to stand she froze.

She found herself face to face with a crossbow. It disappeared and was replaced by an angry face.

"The hell do you think you're doin'?" Daryl growled as he grabbed her hand and yanked her into his own tent in one fluid motion. "Jesus, how'd you get so wet?" He asked as he pulled the zipper down, shutting out the wind and rain.

She had her arms crossed over her chest, they were both on their knees facing one another and it seemed like they both realized at the same time how close they were. "My tent has a leak." She whispered and then wiped the water from her eyes. Her clothes were soaked and she rubbed her arms briskly.

"Ya think?" He shook his head. "Why didn't you just say somethin' sooner?"

"Because I didn't want to wake you up. I was going to go get into one of the cars." Her teeth started chattering and she tried to clench them together to keep him from noticing.

"Your soaked." He grumbled as he reached around to grab something behind her.

"Ya think?" She could feel his breath on her shoulder and it caused her to shiver again.

He rummaged around in a duffel bag and came up with a dark T-shirt. "This was Merle's so it'll be huge on you but it's dry." He shoved it into her hands.

"If I put it on now I'll just get it wet before I can get to a car." She argued, handing it back.

He blew out an annoyed breath. "You ain't goin' out there again."

"But I..."

"Shut up, Carol. You think you'll be any good to anybody if you catch somethin' just cause you were too damn stubborn to listen to me? You can stay here. I have plenty now that Merle's gone."

It felt like the ground fell out from beneath her. Her stomach was up in her throat. "Stay here?" She asked in a whisper.

"Nah. I was sayin' you should sleep in the mud." He muttered sarcastically. "Yeah, you can sleep here. Unless you think I'm some sort of weirdo. Then I'll walk you to a car if that's what you'd rather do."

"I don't think you're a weirdo. But everybody else is going to..."

"Talk about it? Believe me, Carol, you're about the only thing any of them has talked about for days now." He shook his head and then turned towards the opening in the tent. "All right. Let's go. But we have to hurry cause I wanna get some sleep sometime this year." He unzipped the flap but she grabbed his arm before he could slip out.

"I'll stay. I want to stay, I mean. It's freezing and I'm tired. Let'em talk."

He gave her a smirk. "Rebel." He muttered.

She held up the shirt and then sniffed it. It didn't smell bad. It actually smelled like Daryl. Like the woods mixed with a little sweat. It was a heady scent that kind of made her head swim a little. Ed usually smelled like body odor and morning breath. "Where am I suppose to change?" She whispered.

He looked around the small space like maybe he would find a changing room somewhere amongst the scattered blankets and then he shrugged.

"Well, at least turn around!" She hissed.

He chuckled but did as she said.

She hurriedly stripped off her wet shirt and tossed it in the corner over his head. The T-shirt was big and went down to her knees.

"Daryl?" She asked, feeling more embarrassed than she probably should.

"What, now?" He asked without turning around.

"What about my pants?"

He shrugged again. "Take'em off."

"What?" She said in a voice much too loud for the small space.

He blew out a breath. "Are they as soaked as the top half was?"

She groaned. "Yes."

"You'll have your own blankets Carol. It ain't much different than wearin' a nightgown. It ain't like I'm gonna try to sneak a peak once your asleep."

"Well, of course not. That's not what I mean. It's just..."

"What?" He sounded amused at how uncomfortable she was.

"It's just... well... it's inappropriate."

She got an outright laugh out of him this time. The first one she had ever heard from him. "Are you serious? Look, sleep in your wet pants if that's what you wanna do. It don't matter to me."

She made an annoyed sound but didn't argue any further. She slipped out of her wet pants, tossed them over his head and grabbed the first blanket she saw and wrapped it around herself. She was glad it was dark because her face felt so hot she knew how red it must be. If someone would have told her two days ago that she would be sitting in Daryl Dixon's tent, in the dark, with no pants on she would have called them crazy.

"You decent?" He asked, still keeping his back to her.

"It depends. In theory I suppose I am but in all seriousness this is not very decent at all."

He turned around then and the silence became deafening between them. He broke it, of course. "That blanket is mine." he pointed to the blanket she wrapped herself up in.

"Are you serious right now?" She raised her eyebrows and frowned at him.

He nodded and then smirked. "Not at all." He tossed her a pillow and then grabbed another blanket and laid down. "Goodnight, Carol." She could hear the humor in his voice and she wanted to tell him to go to hell but then she found herself smiling and shaking her head at the silliness of the situation. Leave it to her to end up like this.

She sat there for a few long moments and then heard him chuckle again which brought another smile to her face. "Whats so funny?" She whispered, curious to know if he was still laughing at her but not able to feel offended by it.

"I was just thinkin'. If Merle found his way back to camp. I don't even wanna imagine what he would say about this."

"I'm sure he would have a few words." She sighed and it was quiet after that.

She laid down herself, making sure that she was as far away from him as the tent would allow. Which meant he was still only about a foot away. She felt much better than she had in her own leaking tent. The blanket was warm and dry and so was she. But not only that, she felt safe. She knew Sophia was fine with Rick and Lori and now she was fine too, somehow knowing that he was there made her feel safer than she had felt in... Well, ever. She stopped worrying about what the others were going to say in the morning. Stopped thinking about how bad this all looked. She drifted off to sleep quickly, for once in her life feeling like everything might be okay.

~H~

Daryl stared up at the low ceiling for a long time. Long after he heard her breathing deepen in sleep. The wind had let up but the rain was still coming down but that wasn't what was keeping him awake. He didn't know why he didn't just walk her to a car and let her lock herself in for the night. It made perfect sense but he hadn't wanted her to go. This caused him to wonder exactly why he didn't want her to go and then that caused him to start to badger himself about how ridiculous he was acting. If Merle was there right now he would probably kick his ass all over camp for getting so involved in things that had nothing to do with him.

Not to mention him sneaking a half naked married woman into his tent. Well, she wasn't half naked when she got there but she was most definitely half naked now. Hell, Merle probably would have been proud at how quick he had gotten her out of her clothes. Merle was an ass like that.

She made a soft sound in her sleep and then she rolled over to her side, facing him. She was frowning and he had that urge to do something to wipe the frown off her face. He shook his head at the thought. Things wouldn't be so confusing once they headed out in the morning. She would be riding off into the sunset with that asshole, Shane. And then maybe her and Shane would talk about things. Find out how much they had in common. He would be totally smooth and probably say all the right things at the right time. Do all the things that Daryl wouldn't do. He let out a frustrated breath. It wasn't any of his business anyway. Shane wasn't really too bad. He'd be able to keep her safe and he wouldn't hurt her.

Another sound escaped her in her sleep and he glanced at her again and then rolled over onto his side, facing her. Yeah, tomorrow was going to change everything. He may as well enjoy it while it lasted. He studied her features until his eyelids grew heavy and then finally he drifted off to sleep to the sounds of the rain and her steady breathing.

His eyes snapped open and it took him a few long seconds to get his bearings. It was still dark. It was still raining. But there was something very different from when he had gone to sleep. He had stayed on his side in his sleep but Carol had moved around in hers. Had moved around a lot by the feel of things.

Her face was maybe an inch away from his and she was somehow now under his own blanket. Her head was resting on his arm that had somehow wrapped itself around her shoulders and she had one hand pressed against his chest and one draped across his waist. One of her legs was pushed in between his own and his free hand was on her hip. Her bare hip. Merle's shirt must have rode up on her during all that moving. His heart lurched and started pounding painfully in his chest. He should have let her go. He should have insisted that she go. Or at least just went ahead and let her sleep in her clothes. This was not something he knew how to deal with. He was really particular about his personal space. He didn't like people this close. Wasn't comfortable with anyone touching him. Wasn't comfortable touching anyone else. His space was just that, his space. But she was all over his space. There actually wasn't any space at all anymore that she wasn't invading. She was pressed up against him to the point where she couldn't possibly get any closer.

He was afraid to move, afraid to even breath. If she woke up then she would probably think that this was all his doing. Even though he was still on his side of the tent, under his own blanket. He had thought she was as close as she could get but suddenly she moved. Her leg that was wedged between his knees moved further into him and then her hipbone was pressed into his crotch. If she woke up now he would be in real trouble. There was no talking his body out of reacting to hers. He slowly moved his hand off of her hip but she was so close that there really wasn't anywhere else to put it so he had to put it back where it had been.

He wanted to bolt out of the tent. But he stayed still. Perfectly still. He even tried to control his breathing, which was hard because he felt like he was suffocating. Every small movement her body made against his was painful. Sometimes the grip that she had around his waist would tighten and he would subconsciously tighten his own around her shoulders.

Eventually he talked himself into just relaxing a bit and enjoying it. As sick as it sounded even to himself it wasn't very often that he found himself in the arms of a woman. And by not very often what he really meant was never. And he had to admit that once he fought his way through all his personal space issues, it actually felt good. Too good really, but he was even able to ignore that after a while, until she would shift in her sleep and grind against him again, which would send him into another fit of panic. But exhaustion finally won out over his fear and he drifted off to sleep once more with her warm breath on his neck.


	9. Chapter 9

**Here is a little more awkwardness for you all ;) Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Nine

Carol was having a hard time getting herself awake. She could tell that the sun was up, which was strange because usually she was up at the crack of dawn. Then she noticed how unbelievably comfortable she was. She felt amazing and then she realized that she wasn't alone and her eyes snapped open and she almost yelled out in surprise. She was draped across Daryl's sleeping form. Draped across was a real understatement. She was almost on top of the man. She wanted to cry. This was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to her. And she knew that as soon as she moved he would wake up and catch her. He would think she was some sort of perverted freak and demand that she stay the hell away from him from now on. He didn't like to be touched, she knew that, so he was definitely going to be irate to find her on top of him like this.

She tried to figure out how she had gotten into this mess. She felt his arm tightened around her and she stiffened. She hadn't even realized that his arm was around her at all. But there it was, heavy and tight around her waist. Her bare waist. Oh, Jesus, had she even taken off her shirt in her sleep? His other arm was flung out at his side. He moved a little and she able to tell where the rest of her body was. Her head was on his chest and so was one hand, her other hand was cupping his neck. She could feel the steady beat of his heart under her palm. She had one leg wrapped around him and the other was flush against his side.

This was awful. This was bad. Really really bad. Here he was, going out of his way to help her out and then she had to go all slut bag in her sleep. He was really going to hate her now and she really couldn't stand the thought of that. She was starting to rely on him too much. His rare smiles and his awkwardness. Even his short temper and his fowl mouth. She needed that. She held her breath when she felt his hand slide up the center of her back. She could tell now that she was definitely still wearing the T-shirt, but his hand had found its way under it. That hand was rough but gentile at the same time and it left a fire burning up her spine.

The arm that had been resting at her side slid around the other side of her and then he was sliding his other hand under the shirt and then pulled her even closer. Which meant nearly lifting her off the tent floor so now she wasn't just mostly on top of him but all the way on top of him. She held her breath when his hands stopped abruptly and the steady beating of his heart turned into a very quick hammering under the hand that was still pressed against his neck.

He was definitely awake now. She was sure of it. His hands were still against her skin and she knew that she was going to have to look at him and she really didn't want to. Not at all. She was mortified.

"Carol?" Someone outside of the tent asked tentatively. It was Shane's voice.

Her head shot up off of Daryl's chest and she looked towards the entrance in a panic. She looked down and Daryl was staring at her, eyes wide, she hadn't realized before that he was breathing heavily. So was she. He slid his hands down her skin slowly and then, like the polite gentleman he was, pulled the shirt back down as far as it would go.

"I'm so so sorry." She whispered as she shifted on top of him.

He groaned and his hands grabbed her hips roughly. Her eyes went wide when she finally realized what had happened. She could feel it there, right between her legs. He was having a hard time with this himself but his reaction to her lewd positioning wasn't making him as upset as she thought. Quite the opposite really.

"Oh, fuck." She breathed and then she covered her mouth with her hand which caused her to move again.

He rolled his eyes and his face reddened. He stared at the ceiling. She didn't know what to do.

"Carol? You in there?" Shane again.

She heard the zipper to her tent unzip and she looked back up in that direction. Daryl, realizing he was still holding her in place let go of her but she still couldn't will her body to move away from his.

She groaned. If she didn't say something right now she was sure that Shane would be looking in this tent next and if he found them in this horrible position then it was over. Everyone in camp would think the worst.

"Give me a minute." She croaked and then, not knowing what else to do she dropped her forehead back down onto Daryl's chest.

"Oh. I, uh. People were wonderin' about you. Sent me up here to see if... I'll just tell them your fine." She heard him walking away.

Daryl squirmed a little which cause her breath to catch in her throat and another strange fire to ignite in other areas of her body instead of just her back where his hands had been. Jesus Christ, what was happening to her.

"Carol?" His voice came out in a husky croak of his own. "You're really gonna have to get the hell off of me. Like, maybe right now."

She rolled off of him and landed next to him on her back. He pulled the blanket up to his waist. She wanted to die. Right there in the tent, just sink into the ground and disappear.

"I didn't mean to do that. I swear, I woke up and I was already there. I'm usually a really light sleeper." She said in a rush. "Oh God, this was a really bad idea. I really really bad idea. Shane thinks I slept with you!" She pulled the blanket up over her head and groaned loudly. "You hate me now, don't you?"

She waited for him to blow up at her. Braced herself for what she knew was coming. But he surprised her. She heard him laugh. A real one. Even louder than he had laughed the night before. Now it was her that was getting angry. How could he laugh right now? She pulled the blanket away from her face and glared over at him. He had an arm over his eyes but he was still laughing.

"How is this funny? Do you know how awful this is?" She snapped and then she smacked his arm, hard.

He moved his arm away from his eyes and then laced his fingers behind his head. His face, after much effort, grew serious. He still didn't look at her. A small blessing. "It's either laugh or cry when it comes to this one, Carol. And I ain't much for cryin'. And besides, I thought you were gonna be mad at me. So this whole blamin' yourself thing is somethin' I can deal with. I always pegged you as someone with some self control." He glanced at her but looked away again.

She sighed. Maybe she could find the humor in it all later but right now it wasn't very funny at all. She ignored him and then covered her face once more with the blanket.

"And you said fuck. You. How can somebody not laugh at that?"

She jerked the blanket away from her face again. The way he was looking at her was purely innocent. No trace of humor there at all. "You're really enjoying yourself aren't you?" She grumbled as she sat up and looked around for her pants. They were going to be wet and uncomfortable but she didn't care. It was time to go out there and face reality.

"I was." He smirked.

Carol's felt the blood rush to her face and she kept her eyes on the floor, still searching for her pants. "Yeah, I could tell." She sounded more upset than she really was, which was saying something because she was really upset. She was embarrassed and he knew it and he was making things worse.

"Hey, you can't blame me for that. You could finger point if you woke up with me on top of you but it was the other way around, lady."

She glared at him. "You're one of those ridiculous morning people aren't you? I should have known."

He nodded, face still innocent. "I really am. Even on mornin's when I wake up getting violated by married women. I don't let shit like that faze me till at least noon."

If it was under any other circumstances she would have really been enjoying this side of him. She'd never seen it before. Didn't even know it existed. He was always so serious and so stoic and now he was this totally different person. But it was at her expense so she wasn't having any fun with it.

"You weren't getting violated. You know, you're being a real ass right now. You know how bad this is and you have jokes. For the first time in your life. And I'm the damn butt."

He sighed and then sat up. "Would you rather me be pissed off? Hurt your feelin's and kick you out of my tent? I can do all that, you know."

She met his eyes. "No." She sighed. "I wouldn't rather you do all that. I would appreciate some help though."

His eyebrows shot up. "Wouldn't we all?"

She glared at him again. "Can you please help me find my clothes?"

He nodded. "There outside."

Now instead of flushing she felt the color drain from her face. "What? Why?"

"Cause they were soaked and there ain't any room in here for a bunch of wet clothes." He unzipped the tent and she watched him poke his head out. Then he crawled out further. Then he pulled himself back inside and looked over at her, this time he really did look like he felt bad. "They ain't there."

"What?" She sounded like she was being strangled.

"I put'em right by the tent but they ain't there."

"What am I gonna do?"

Now he was actually looking worried. Good. It was about damn time. If he would have just left them alone then she could be dressed and gone by now.

"You can maybe wear somethin' of mine. I gotta belt around here somewhere I don't use." He really did look apologetic.

"That wont work!" She snapped.

He crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at her. "Then go out there like that."

"I'm serious Daryl. Are you trying to play some sort of prank?" Her voice was much louder than she intended it to be. "Cause if you are then it was hilarious. Just give me my pants back." She practically yelled.

"Are you crazy?" He barked. "I don't have your damn pants! Why would I hide your pants?"

"You're the one that got me out of them, how the hell should I know!" She yelled back.

Just then they heard a giggle from outside the tent. "Oh. My. God." She mouthed, her eyes wide.

"Carol?"

"Andrea?" Carol was almost relieved.

"Is everything okay in there?" Andrea asked.

Carol put her face in her hands. The world really needed to just swallow her up. She peeked out at Daryl from between her fingers. "She heard all that." She whispered.

"Well, that ain't my fault either." He whispered back.

"What am I going to do?"

Daryl took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Hey Blondie. Could you come in here for a sec. Carol's gotten herself into a mess. Maybe you can help her out."

"What is wrong with you?" Carol hissed.

He just shrugged. "What the hell do you want me to do?"

Andrea stuck her head in and looked at Carol. "Are you okay?"

"She lost her clothes last night and she needs you to go find her something to wear." Daryl said deadpan.

"Daryl please stop trying to be helpful." Carol groaned.

Andrea was gaping at them both but regained herself quickly. "Do you want me to bring you something of mine or would you rather me find your own things?"

"All your stuff's in Shane's Jeep. Probably be better if she just grabbed you something of hers. It wouldn't look so bad." Daryl said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Okay." Andrea smiled.

"Andrea?" Carol called before she could crawl out.

She turned.

"Could you please not tell anyone about this. It really isn't what it looks like." Carol pleaded.

Andrea held her hands up and smiled. "None of my business."

Carol breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Any time."

~H~

Daryl was chewing on his thumbnail and minding his own business when Andrea left the tent. He wasn't even looking at Carol, which was how she caught him off guard. She slammed him in the side of the head with a pillow.

"What the fuck was that for?" He growled.

"Did you really have to tell her all that?" Carol hissed and then hit him again.

"Would you quit doin' that? I had to do somethin' damn it. We're leavin' today. Can't have you sittin' in here sulkin'."

"You're right, but you could have went and got me something yourself. You know what she's thinking?"

He shrugged. "Don't much care."

"But I do! You don't care because you're never around them. You stay to yourself so you don't have to deal with their looks."

"I still wouldn't care." He said. "You didn't care last night."

"You're impossible." She growled.

He did kind of feel bad for her. His attempts at lightening the mood had failed. He was embarrassed himself but not for the same reason's she was. She was embarrassed because now she was going to be the talk of the whole camp. He was embarrassed because he had no control of how he had reacted to her this morning and she had known it. His first instinct had been to buck her off of him and then maybe cuss her out a bit. But when he saw how humiliated she was he decided not too do any of that. Maybe he was finally learning self control.

And then Shane had to come nosing around and that really got her going.

He sighed. "I'm sorry." He said flatly.

He must have caught her off guard because her eyes widened a bit. "You are?"

"Yes. I am. If I'd have known that somebody was gonna steal your clothes I would have never put them outside. And if I'd have known you were such a tramp in your sleep I woulda walked you to a car."

She sighed. "I'm sorry too. If I'd have known you were going to get me undressed I would have stayed in the other tent and drowned. And if I'd have known you were so easily excited I definitely would have stayed in the other tent and drowned."

"Ouch." He mumbled. "You ever hear of lettin' a guy down easy?" He meant it as a joke but her words had actually stung a little. Not that he was into her or anything, but she could have been a bit nicer about letting him know that she'd pretty much rather drown than be caught in that position with him again. But he shrugged it off. Or thought he did.

She was staring at him with a weird look on her face.

"What?" He grumbled and then he nearly crawled out of his own skin and ran away when she threw her arms around his neck. What the hell was she doing? She wasn't asleep. There was no joking his way out of the uncomfortableness of this situation. There wasn't anywhere to go so he didn't try to bolt. Instead he found his own arms ghosting around her waist. "The hell is this for?" He asked into her shoulder.

"Because I think I hurt your feelings and it was one of those knee jerk reactions." She laughed.

He scoffed. "I ain't got no feelin's to hurt." Which was true as far as he was concerned. But it felt really good to have her arms around his neck like that. Not good like it had felt this morning but a different kind of good.

"Okay I got... Oh. I'm really sorry. I thought you guys knew I'd be right back." Andrea said as she looked at them.

Daryl rolled his eyes and dropped his arms to his side.

Carol was more reluctant to move. She slid her hands away and then turned to Andrea with a smile. "Thank you. You're a life saver."

Andrea left without another word and now they both just sat there on their knees on the ground looking anywhere but at each other. Daryl started chewing on his thumbnail again. His thoughts drifted back to what he had been thinking last night about her leaving with Shane. He was really going to miss having her around but he still wasn't stupid enough to think he had anything to offer her. He blew out a heavy breath which caused her to look up at him.

"I'm sorry about this morning." She said as she looked back down at the clothes Andrea had brought her. "You think maybe we can just act like that never happened?"

If he ever needed any confirmation then this was it. He nodded. "Already forgotten." he said as he headed for an escape.

He stood up and stretched once he was finally out of the confines of the tent. The clouds were still dark and heavy but it wasn't raining yet. All he had to do was gather up the stuff he had in the tent and then the tent itself and he was good to go. He had loaded up most of his stuff in the truck the day before. He glanced down the slight incline and saw everyone else sitting around the fire pit. He thought about waiting on Carol to come out but then decided against it. She probably wouldn't want to show up down there with him. Things were bad enough for her as it was.

The men were all huddled together and he figured he needed to be there too. He wanted to know exactly where they were going and how long it was going to take to get there. As he started walking towards them he glanced around again until he spotted Sophia. She was with Carl and Lori, eating breakfast. She looked up and smiled at him. He gave her a nod and then looked back down to the ground.

When he reached the group of men they all looked at him, but it was Shane who spoke. Of course.

"You move quick, don't you Dixon?" He asked with a smile.

Daryl was about to tell him to fuck off. But then he thought about it and just shrugged. Let the asshole think what he wanted. Then maybe he'd leave her alone. But then after glancing at Rick he knew that wasn't going to happen. Asshole.


	10. Chapter 10

**Some of you have been waiting for this. Hope it feeds your need for revenge, ladies ;) Thanks for all the reviews and thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter Ten

Carol tried to take Andrea's tent down herself. She had no idea how he had put it up last night in the dark. Not that it had done any good. It was pretty much useless. She should have just left it. But it wasn't hers to leave to she fought with it until it was nothing but a mess of rods and vinyl on the ground. She put her hands on her hips and stared down at it in disgust. How was she suppose to fit this mess back in that small bag?

Daryl had taken his own tent down earlier. He had avoided her all morning and it was starting to make her nervous. She heard footsteps coming up behind her and she almost smiled, thinking it was him but then she realized that he would never make so much noise. She spun around and her fears were confirmed when she saw Ed only about six feet away.

"Heard those men talkin' earlier. You have yourself some fun last night?" He asked with a sneer.

"Stay away from me Ed. I told you, I'm done with all this. I don't belong to you." She hated herself right then because even she could hear the fear in her voice. She took a step back and then glanced towards the main camp.

"Ain't nobody there to save your ass at the moment. You really think that redneck would stick around after he finally got him some?" Ed glared at her and took a few steps closer.

She backed up and almost stumbled over the tent. She glanced back down towards camp but still no one was there. "You stay the hell away Ed." She said frantically. "If you touch me I swear to God he'll kill you."

"He ain't gonna do shit you stupid bitch." He growled at her. "Did you really think you'd get away with that? With actin' like you been actin'?" He laughed.

"Just let it go, Ed. Get in the car and leave."

"Oh, I'm leavin'. And you're comin' with me. Right now." He reached out and grabbed her arm but she tried to pull away.

"Ed, stop." She actually was able to yank herself free and she turned to run but he had her by the arm again and when he spun her around his hand clamped down on her throat. She tripped and he landed on top of her, crushing her with his weight.

"You wanna run around on me? Throw yourself at that boy right in front of me? In front of our girl?" He hissed as his hand tightened even more on her throat. "What do you think is gonna happen to her after this?"

White spots danced in her vision followed by black spots that dotted out a portion of his face. She felt around frantically at her sides for anything she could use as a weapon. He was killing her and she had to do something.

"You think he's gonna be able to save her once you're in the ground? Huh!" He spit in her face.

Her fingers grasped something. At first she didn't know what it was but then she realized just as she swung it around and stuck it into his side. A yellow plastic stake for the tent. She was weak, it didn't go in far but it was enough for him to howl in pain and move his hands from around her throat. He tried to move away but she yanked the stake out of his side and impaled him in the side again, this time with more force than the last. That was the funny thing about Ed. He was real good at dishing out pain but when it came to taking it, he was like a child. A weak pathetic man.

He pushed himself away from her but she went with him. She wiped his spit off her face as he fell backwards over some firewood Daryl had left sitting out. He was about to kill her. He had actually planned on killing her. And then he was talking about Sophia. He was going to hurt her too. She lunged at him, a scream bubbling up her damaged throat.

She still had the plastic spike in her hand. He was scooting backwards holding his side looking up at her with real fear in his eyes. She landed on top of him and plunged the plastic spike into his stomach. He wasn't going to hurt her again. He wasn't going to hurt her daughter. He was going to leave them both alone. She was tired. Tired of always hurting. Tired of always being afraid. Tired of people looking at her like she was a victim and tired of feeling like one. Over and over again she lashed out with the stake. She couldn't let him hurt Sophia. She couldn't let him hurt her anymore. She had to be strong and she had to keep him away from them.

She finally stopped. As abruptly as that desperate rage had consumed her it fell away just as fast. She scooted away from him and turned her head. Had she really done this? He was dead. As dead as she would have been if she hadn't done something about it. But this? The plastic spike dropped from her hands.

His stomach was torn apart. She turned away and then, on her hands and knees she tried to throw up but she hadn't eaten anything. Her throat felt swollen on the inside and it was hard to catch her breath. There wasn't enough room to let enough air get into her lungs. She tried to get up. To stand up and to get away from that body but she couldn't will herself to move. Her mind felt numb and her limbs felt numb. How could she have done this?

She collapsed onto her side and wrapped her arms around her knees. She wanted to get away from him. But there wasn't anywhere to go. He'd always be there. Even now, his bloody corpse was mocking her. She squeezed her eyes shut but behind her lids all she saw was more blood.

~H~

Daryl made sure Rick was going to keep an eye on Sophia before he headed back up towards camp. He hadn't seen Ed around all morning so he had made his way down to the water to see if he was down there. He'd looked around for a while and then everyone else showed up. Everyone else but Carol. He hadn't said anything to her after he had left the tent that morning but he had made it a point to keep an eye on her. It wasn't easy since she was always busy doing something. Bustling around camp all the time. But when he had left she had been talking to Shane so he figured she would be okay. He was starting to feel panic set in as he hurried back up the path. He should have taken her with him. Shouldn't have left her alone. But how was he suppose to know that they'd all run off and leave her alone at camp? With a potential psycho that would hurt her.

Camp was empty. Like he had known it would be. He saw that Ed's car was still there so he felt better knowing he hadn't snatched her up and taken her off somewhere. He jogged up to his own camp and then stopped. There were two bodies there. Both covered in blood.

He actually fell to his knees when he saw her. He couldn't understand what could have happened. Why were there two bodies? Why not just hers? Had someone else been here? Did someone see what Ed had done and then took out their revenge. But no one else was here. He was still about twenty feet away. Maybe it wasn't Carol at all. But he remembered the clothes she had been wearing and it was the same. He couldn't believe he had let this happen. What was he suppose to tell that little girl? What was she going to do now? What was he going to do? It had only been a few days. Just a few short days but the woman had managed to sear herself into his head. Just a few days. What could she have done if they had had a chance to have more than that? Why did everyone he ended up caring about have to leave him?

He got back up on shaky legs and willed himself to move forward. He took a few steps and then stopped. Had he seen movement? He walked towards her blood soaked body. Her shoulders shook slightly and then her eyes flew open. She was looking at the body a few feet away. Her eyes were clear and wide. He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

"Carol?" He whispered and her eyes closed again.

She squeezed them shut tight. "Daryl, I don't want to see him anymore." She whispered in a voice that broke. She didn't open her eyes.

"Jesus." He rushed over and pulled her up by the shoulders. There were angry marks on her neck but he didn't get a chance to get a good look. As soon as he had her on her feet she buried her face into his chest and started sobbing. He backed up, moving towards the woods, holding her as tight against him as he could without crushing her. He glanced down at the body on his way by but had to look away. It was bad. Had she done this?

When he had her a decent ways from Ed's body he stopped. He had one hand wrapped around her waist and the other pressed against the back of her head. She was crying loudly and he just let her cry. He didn't care what the hell she was doing as long as she was breathing. He wanted to push her away just long enough to check her to see if any of the blood on her actually belonged to her. But she didn't need that right now. He'd wait all day if that's what he had to do.

Rick had already said they might need to stay one more night. He didn't want to get hung up in a storm on the highway. So now Daryl had time to clean this up. He didn't think anyone would blame her if she really was the one that had killed Ed but he didn't want to take a chance.

They stayed like that until he thought that maybe she was all cried out. Her body was trembling so bad he had to wonder how she could even stand. He was pretty sure she was in shock. But he needed her to hurry up and talk so he could figure out what to do.

"What happened?" He whispered in her ear.

"I was trying to get the stupid tent ready." She shivered and he rubbed a hand down her back. "He was choking me and he was talking about Sophia and I think I almost passed out but then I... I just stabbed him. I stabbed him and when he fell I just didn't stop stabbing him. I kept going even when I knew he was dead I kept going." She took a deep shuddering breath and then wrapped her arms around his neck. "I wish you would have been there."

That caused something in his chest to ache. That she needed him and he hadn't been there. It made him feel worse than anything ever had in his whole miserable life. "Me too." He said gruffly.

"How could I do something like that? What's wrong with me?" Her shoulders shuddered again but she seemed to be doing better than when he first pulled her up from the ground.

"You did what you had too." He said into her neck.

She pulled away from him and hugged herself tightly, almost like she did the other night when she had taken that beating to the ribs. She shook her head. Her eyes were still streaming. "I didn't have to do that. I didn't have to keep going like that. That's not something a person like me does, Daryl." She shook her head.

"You lost it for a minute. It happens."

"Did you see him?" She asked as her eyes grew more wide. "Did you see what I did?"

He could only nod. He wasn't sure what to do now.

"What am I going to tell the others? They can't know I did that. Nobody can know I did that."

"Nobody'll know. I'll take care of it."

She looked off towards the trees. "You'll take care of it?"

He nodded. "Go find some more clothes. I'll do somethin' with Ed."

She backed away from him and then turned and ran. He didn't know if letting her go anywhere alone was smart but he didn't want her near that body anymore.

He walked back to his camp and looked around. The tent was useless anyway. He cleared off the poles and stakes and drug the tent over to Ed's body. He kept glancing around, making sure no one was coming as he rolled the body over onto the vinyl. "Fat bastard." He groaned as he rolled Ed up in the tent and then tied both ends with rope. He hurried to his truck and found a shovel. When he jumped down he nearly landed on top of Carol.

She looked a lot more calm than she had before. "Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded and then looked at the ground.

"You stay here. I'll drag him to the woods and bury him. Okay?"

She looked up then. "I can help you. This is my mess."

He was about to shake his head but she reached out and yanked the shovel out of his hand.

"We don't have time to argue about it Daryl." She snapped and then she stormed away. He hurried after her.

They wrestled the body into the woods as far as they thought they needed too and then Daryl started digging. "You think they'll come lookin' for us?" He asked as he wiped the sweat from his forehead onto the back of his hand.

She gave him a stony look. "No. I'm sure they'll just think we're out here screwin' in the woods."

He stopped digging and looked up. That wasn't really a Carol thing to say. That actually sounded a bit like his brother. He frowned at her.

"What? It's the truth." She said bitterly.

He just shrugged and kept on digging but he couldn't help but keep glancing at her off and on. He was really starting to worry about her.

"That's probably what we should have done. We should have just went ahead and done it. That's what everyone thinks. It isn't like I have a decent reputation around here. I'm as bad as Lori and at least then I could have actually..."

"Jesus Christ, Carol." Daryl cut her off gruffly.

She shook her head. "I'm a murderer. Can you believe that? I killed my husband before I ever had a chance to even cheat on him."

"You ain't a murderer. It was you or him." He hopped out of the shallow grave and stood a few feet away from her. "And you ain't like Lori either. Lori ain't so bad if you think about it anyhow. She thought Rick was dead."

Carol nodded and helped him drag the body over to the grave. And then they both jumped back when it moved.

Carol grasped his arm with both of her hands and he backed up another few feet when something scratched against the vinyl.

"Carol," he whispered. "Was Ed bit when he came after you?"

She shook her head. No. No, he was fine. He didn't get attacked by a Walker. I killed him. I stabbed him with a tent stake."

Now they could both hear moaning and growling along with the scratching. "What the fuck?" Daryl breathed. "We have to tell somebody."

"What does this even mean?"

He shook his head and grabbed her hand. They ran through the woods, hoping the knots tied to each end of the tent was enough to hold him in there until they got the others.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Carol could feel the branches whipping by her face but she didn't care. She held onto Daryl's hand and matched his pace. When they broke through the trees they didn't stop running. Everyone was just getting back from the water and Daryl finally let go of her hand. Rick and Shane spotted them and they ran the rest of the way to meet them.

"What's happened?" Rick asked.

Shane went straight to Carol and grabbed her hands and looked her over. "You alright?" He asked.

Carol pulled her hands out of his and nodded.

Daryl shot Shane a glare and then decided now wasn't the time. "We got a problem Rick." he said as he tried to catch his breath. "I think you two, and maybe T should come with us."

Rick and Shane shared a look. "Daryl, what do you mean? Has somethin' happened?" Rick asked

Daryl shook his head and groaned. "I killed Ed." he said quickly. "He was tryin' to strangle her to death and I found'em and I killed him."

They shared another look and then Shane tipped Carol's head back gently and gave a low whistle. He looked at Rick and nodded. "Take a look."

"Jesus Christ. Looks like he almost snapped her neck." Rick said as he shook his head sadly. He looked back up at Daryl. "Look, you did what you had to do, Daryl. The world ain't what it was. I don't have a problem with you protectin' our women. Our kids. As far as I'm concerned you did a good thing for all of us today."

"Goddamn it! I don't give a shit if you think I did this group a favor. I need you to get T and follow us. Ya'll don't listen worth shit! Come on!"

Rick yelled for T-dog who jogged over. "Daryl has somethin' he thinks we should see." Rick explained.

They made their way through the trees again. They were moving slower on their way back. Shane kept asking her if she was okay and although she appreciated his concern she really just wished he would shut up. She was fine. Daryl had asked her once and then he left her alone.

"When we get back maybe we can find you something for pain. I know that neck of yours has got to be killin' you." Shane said as he walked next to her.

"It isn't really that bad. I've had worse." She said as she slowed down. They were almost there and she was starting to get nervous.

The vinyl had held but the knots at the end were slipping. He would be out soon.

"What is this?" Rick breathed as they walked over to the struggling corpse.

"It's Ed." Carol said and then, without thinking, she twined her fingers through Daryl's and leaned into his side. She glanced up to make sure he was okay with it. He didn't look at her but he gave her fingers a squeeze.

"He's alive?" Shane asked, kneeling down next to it. But then they heard the growls and snarls. Shane jumped back a bit. "He was bit?" He gasped.

"No. that's why I wanted ya'll to see for yourselves." Daryl said.

"This doesn't make any sense." Rick said as he shook his head. "You're sure? He didn't have a mark on him?"

Carol shook her head. "No. Not that I saw."

"We need to put him down. Check the body just to make sure. If he wasn't bit then we're playin' a whole new ballgame." T-dog said as he looked over at Rick.

Daryl let go of her hand and swung his crossbow around. He looked at Rick and gave a nod. T-dog went for the ropes that was securing the tent above the things head. Daryl stepped closer, crossbow raised. When Ed's head broke free he snarled and reached for Daryl. Daryl was quick, placing an arrow in the center of his head and then finally Ed grew still.

Shane had came to Carol's side and put an arm around her shoulders. She didn't pull away from him but she did stay very still, keeping her hands clamped together in front of her. Daryl smirked down at Ed's corpse but it dropped from his face when he glanced over at Carol and Shane.

"Well, let's see what we're dealin' with here." Rick muttered as he took out a knife and cut through the vinyl.

"Jesus, Dixon. The hell's wrong with you?" Shane said as he looked up at Daryl and covered his mouth.

Rick and T-dog looked equally disgusted at the carnage before them.

T-dog shook his head. "Man, you ever heard of overkill? Cause this shit is some overkill."

Daryl just shrugged. "Guess he pissed me off." He glanced back up at Shane.

Rick knelt down in front of the body and Shane reluctantly joined him, giving Carol's shoulders and gentle squeeze as he left her standing there. T-dog stayed back.

They looked over the body quickly, even rolling it over onto it's side to check the back. Other than the wounds to the stomach and two to the side there was nothing.

"What'd you use, Daryl?" Rick asked.

"A tent stake." Daryl answered quickly.

T-dog gave him a grimace. "Couldn't you have just shot him?"

Daryl shrugged. "Didn't think about it at the time."

Rick rubbed his face with his hand and then him and Shane stood up. "No bites. Not even a scratch."

They all stood in silence for a few long minutes and then finally Daryl walked over and started dragging the body towards the hole. T-dog helped him move it to the edge and then Daryl kicked the body in. It made a sickening sound when it hit the bottom.

"Let's head back to camp and figure out what we're suppose to tell the others." Rick said as Daryl picked up the shovel and started filling up the grave.

"Carol, you comin'?" Shane asked.

Carol shook her head. "Just wait for me back at camp. I need to tell Sophia myself."

The men all nodded and walked away.

It didn't take Daryl long to fill in the hole. It wasn't that deep and he worked pretty fast. When he was done he slammed the shovel into the soft earth and leaned against it. He met her eyes and held them for a long moment.

Carol didn't know why he had told them all that he was the one that had killed Ed. She was thankful that he did. She couldn't stand the thought of them knowing that she was the one to do that. He finally grabbed the shovel and walked towards her.

"Thanks." She said as she turned towards camp.

He glanced at her. "For what?"

"For lying for me. And for burying my dead husband for me."

He elbowed her in the arm and smiled. "That's what friends are for. Buryin' bodies and stuff."

"And I'm sorry for what I said earlier. About... stuff."

"Stuff?" He smiled and turned his head, back to the old Daryl. She could see the blush creeping up his neck.

"Yeah. I was just angry. All that came out wrong."

He looked at her briefly and then focused on the trees in front of him. When they got back to camp everyone was gathered around the big fire pit once more. They weren't met by any curious glances. Everyone was quiet. Sophia was sitting with Carl. When she spotted them coming she jumped up and ran towards them.

"Rick said you needed to talk to me about something." Sophia said, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Daryl was about to walk away but Carol caught his hand. She expected him to pull away but he didn't. He looked at her warily. "This ain't my place, Carol." He said quietly.

"Please?" Carol whispered and he took a deep breath and stepped closer, not letting go of her hand.

"What's happened?" Sophia worriedly. "What happened to your neck?"

"Your daddy happened, honey." Carol said gently. "And then..."

Carol lost her voice. She didn't know how to say it. She knew that Sophia was afraid of Ed but when all was said and done, Ed was still her father. This could really hurt her. She glanced up at Daryl, knowing he would be able to read the panic in her face. She wasn't sure what she wanted from him. But he looked at her, bit his bottom lip and then looked at Sophia.

"I had to kill Ed, kid. It was him or your momma. He's dead."

Carol was shocked for a second but she had looked to him for help and this was his way of helping. She should have expected it. She glanced at Sophia, expecting the worst but she was surprised to see Sophia just nod at him.

"Are you okay?" Carol asked.

Sophia's eyes were wide but she didn't look as upset as Carol feared she would. She was looking at Daryl and Daryl was looking at her. "You saved my mom?"

Daryl glanced at Carol and then rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand and then nodded.

Sophia nodded. "Thanks, Daryl."

Daryl didn't look as surprised as Carol felt. "Are you sure your okay? Do you want to talk about it or..."

"No. I'm kind of sad that I don't feel as bad as I should. Does that make sense? I wish I had a dad I could love." She shrugged. "But I don't. We're safe now and so I feel okay about that."

Carol was speechless. Her eyes filled with tears as Sophia walked away. "What kind of man does that make him? For his own daughter to feel relieved that he's gone. She thinks you killed her father and she thanked you? And what kind of mom does that make me? To stay with somebody like that?" She wasn't really asking him. She just had to ask the questions out loud.

He didn't give her an answer either. He must have known there really wasn't one to give. She had failed her daughter. She had been weak and even though she had gotten rid of him, it was too late. Sophia was unable to feel any sense of loss. She was appalled at herself for what she had done. The way she had done it. But she was glad Ed was gone. But her daughter? She was just a child.

"Come on." He gestured towards the group that was still sitting around the now blazing fire. The clouds were still heavy and low and it was bringing an unseasonable chill to the air.

He didn't let go of her hand, even when some of them looked up at them. Andrea and Amy smiled. Daryl sat down in the grass since all the chairs were taken and Carol sat with him, he still hadn't let go of her hand. She knew what the others probably thought but she didn't care anymore. She needed that comfort that he was offering and she was going to take it no matter what everyone else thought.

Dale was ushering Sophia and Carl into the R.V.. Rick waited for him to come take his seat with Amy and Andrea before he started talking. He told them about what happened to Ed. Everyone flashed Daryl a look but in every set of eyes him and Carol met there was relief. Not one person would mourn the man. Even as awful as Merle Dixon was, his brother had loved him. That said a lot about Ed.

It wasn't long, though, until fear was the main emotion that was written on the faces of everyone in their group. When Rick swore that Ed didn't have a bite or scratch on him it was like that climactic scene in a horror movie. A collective shock that turned quickly into fear.

Andrea wrapped her arms around Amy like she was just a small child and Amy clung to her, her blue eyes as large and frightened as Andrea's were. "What does this mean?" Andrea asked finally. "Does it mean that when we die then that will happen to us too?"

"We don't know that. We don't know what this means yet." Rick said in a comforting voice. "Let's just think about it for tonight. Set our tents back up and if the weather is any better we can head out to the CDC in the morning. We might find answers there."

They all went their separate ways then. Daryl was getting his tent back out of the back of the truck when Andrea approached her. "You okay?" She asked.

Carol nodded. "I am. I was a little freaked out at first but I'm okay now."

Andrea looked towards the truck and then back to Carol. "Daryl didn't kill Ed, did he?"

Carol didn't answer. She just looked away.

"And he took the blame just in case there would be any trouble." Andrea smiled.

Carol looked up. "I told you. There's a lot more to him than what everyone see's."

Andrea just nodded. "You're right. I'm glad the two of you found a friend in one another."

Carol smiled back. "Me too."

After that the women got together and went down to the water for a bath. They were usually afraid that one of the men would try to sneak down but it never happened. Well, it did but Carol wasn't down there that day. When it was bath day Dale stayed on the R.V. And watched the men. There was one time Shane made his way down, pretending to have not known what they were down there doing but they all knew he was lying.

Carol found herself feeling a little separated from the rest of the women. She didn't have much to say to them even though they all had questions for her about Daryl. Especially Lori.

"Shane said that you were in his tent this morning." Lori pressed. As she toweled herself off.

"I was. It was raining in my tent." Carol said lamely. She was getting tired of this really quick.

"So, did anything happen?" She pressed.

"Yeah. We slept." Carol said as she slipped a tank top over her head.

"Well, you guys seemed pretty cozy earlier today."

Andrea handed Carol her boots and frowned at Lori. "It's not all that uncommon for a man and a woman to be friends, Lori. You should know that."

Lori shot her a dirty look. "I'm just asking."

"And she answered you already." Andrea snapped.

"Do you got somethin' you want to say to me?" Lori asked harshly.

Andrea shoved a bottle of lotion into Carol's hands and then put her hands on her hips. "Actually yeah. I think that she's had a pretty rough day and maybe you should stop with the twenty questions. Or at least ask the one's you're actually curious about."

Carol sniffed the lotion Andrea had handed her. She wasn't sure what it was but it smelled like Heaven in a bottle so she took the liberty of using it since Andrea had handed it to her. She watched the two women square off as she rubbed it into her skin.

"And what question would that be, Andrea?" Lori asked as she glared at the woman.

"Just ask her if she's as interested in Shane as he is her. That's what you want to know, isn't it. You want to know that Carol's taken already."

Carol put the lotion back in Andrea's bag.

"Oh, come on." Lori scoffed. "That's just ridiculous."

Andrea shoved a bottle of body spray into Carols hand next but she never took those angry eyes off of Lori. Carol sniffed the cap and it smelled just like the lotion so she sprayed some on, still silently watching the drama before her.

"Then maybe you should just leave her alone. Like I said she's had a hell of a day and she's already answered your questions."

The other women were coming along now so Andrea and Lori let it drop. If there was one thing Carol hated it was drama. She couldn't wait to get back to camp and away from this. Especially when it certainly had everything to do with her.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The rest of the day flew by and the rain held off just long enough to for the women to cook dinner. Which happened to be canned stew that Carol found stashed away in their car. Ed had a lot of food hidden and she was glad that she was finally able to share.

And she was able to talk to Lori without the watchful eye of Andrea.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Carol. I wasn't trying to come off the way it may have seemed. I really am just curious. You seem happy. It's good to see you smile."

"It feels good to want too." Carol said quietly.

"Sophia asked if she could stay with us again. I told her I would ask you." Lori said with a smile. "We really lucked out. Our kids are the same age and actually seem to like one another."

"Carl's been good for her. She can stay as long as Rick doesn't mind."

Lori rolled her eyes and laughed. "He doesn't. Believe me. Carl's a handful and Sophia keeps him busy."

Ed had never taken the tent down, of course, so tonight she technically had a place to sleep. She hadn't talked to Daryl much. He was busy with the men, planning and doing whatever else it was that they did. She was proud of him for getting involved. He had earned his place with them. As far as she was concerned anyway.

After Lori helped her clean up, her and Rick and the kids all retired to their tent before the rain came. It was only sprinkling when Carol made her way to the tent she had shared with Ed up until last night. It was a big tent and she stood in the middle of it hugging herself. There was no way she was sleeping here. Everything in it belonged to him and she really would sleep in the mud before she forced herself to cover up with blankets that smelled like Ed. It felt like everything in the tent was tainted. Everything she owned was tainted.

She felt depressed. She walked through the dark and found herself standing outside of her car. Ed's car. Another thing tainted by the man. She sighed and crossed her arms as she leaned against the hood.

~H~

Daryl sat Indian style in the middle of the floor of his small tent. He had a flashlight propped up in one corner and he was trying like hell to make himself some more arrows for his crossbow. Only it wasn't working like it usually did. He had a knack for things like this most of the time. If it was something to do with his hands then he was usually pretty skilled at it. Not tonight.

"Son of a bitch." He growled as he put too much pressure on the knife and took off way too much wood. He tossed the stick out of the tent through the opening that he had pinned back to let in the cool air. It actually felt good tonight. Just enough chill in the air. His kind of weather. The rain didn't bother him and it wasn't really coming down yet anyway.

He picked up another stick and tried it again. He knew what his problem was. Carol. He hadn't really talked to her much after they had came out of the woods and he was worried about her. She'd had a real messed up day and he didn't like the thought of her alone out there somewhere. She had almost died. She had killed her own husband. And then she watched him come back to life. If that wasn't traumatic he didn't know what was. But he wasn't going to go hunt her down. Maybe she just wanted some time alone. He'd give her that. She knew where he was if she wanted him around.

He didn't know what his problem was anyway. He used to enjoy being alone. Now he couldn't stop glancing towards the entrance to see of he could spot her coming his way. Then he felt like a creeper for doing it. He held up the slender piece of wood and grimaced.

"Looks good. For a fuckin' tooth pick." He mumbled to himself and then he picked up the bundle he'd collected earlier and threw the whole thing out. Except they bounced right back in. he looked up.

"If you wanted to be alone you could have just told me. No need in throwing sticks at a person." Carol said as she brushed sticks off her shoulders.

"Did I just hit you in the face with a bunch sticks?" He asked shaking his head.

She sighed and nodded. "Can I come in?"

"I was wonderin' what was takin' you so long." He said as he looked down at the hilt of the knife he held.

"Didn't believe I could resist your charm, huh?" She asked as she crawled over and sat next to him.

He snorted but the corner of his mouth lifted up. She'd take what she could get.

He was glad she finally came. He didn't know if she would stay or not and after the fit she had had this morning he wasn't about to ask her if she would. For some reason that made him feel like she would think he was desperate. He actually was. He glanced over at her and then frowned. She was staring off at nothing and she looked like she was about to cry. He reached over and turned the flashlight off and it took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust.

He told himself that he was just conserving his batteries but the truth was he was a chicken shit and he didn't want to see her looking that sad. He was pretty good at making her laugh but the way she looked now he wasn't so sure if he could. He heard her sigh softly right before the rain picked up outside.

"It's rainin'." He whispered.

She turned her head slowly and peered at him in the dark. "I can see that." She whispered back.

"You wanna get naked again?" He whispered as he bumped her shoulder with his own.

It worked. She laughed and he had to smile to himself. They sat there in silence for a while. Silence didn't bother her like it did other people. Or if it did she didn't act like it. She eventually laid her head on his shoulder. He didn't flinch. He didn't tense. He didn't instantly have the urge to pull away. It didn't mean he wanted anyone else this close. But he didn't mind that she was.

"You tired?" He asked after a while and he felt her head move in a nod. He wanted to ask her if she'd stay but he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. He was getting better. A lot better. But he wasn't that good yet. If she said no he would feel like a dumb ass and rejection was something he avoided.

"Mind sharing your tent again?" She asked tentatively.

He shrugged but couldn't help but grin like an idiot. "If you want to."

She reached across him and grabbed one of the pillows and shoved it behind her. The floor of the tent was covered in blankets already so all she had to do was scoot down and curl up on her side. He zipped the tent shut and laid down on his back right next to her.

She lifted her head and peered at him in the dark. "I thought you liked your personal space?" She whispered.

He shook his head. "I figure you're gonna end up on top of me anyhow, ain't no sense in sleepin' by the wall."

"You're an ass." She muttered but he felt her move closer until her head was on his arm again.

He grinned in the dark. "I am." He reached for a blanket and pulled it over them both then he rolled over onto his side so their foreheads were actually touching. "But I'm startin' to think you like me anyway." he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her body closer. She let him, even moved closer on her own, so he took the risk of easing his hand up the back of her shirt. Just enough to where he was touching skin instead of clothes. She still didn't protest but he was going to stop right there. No sense in pushing his luck. She'd had a real bad day and the last thing she needed was some clumsy ass inexperienced redneck trying to feel her up.

He was surprised at how fast she fell asleep. He wasn't surprised at all when she snuggled in closer and wrapped her arm around his neck. He felt a little bad because he had actually known that she would end up doing all this in her sleep. He took a deep breath and then fought back a groan when the scent of her warm skin filled his nose. She smelled good. Really good. He didn't run around sniffing women but he always figured that they all smelled better than men did. They were usually a lot cleaner. The crook of her elbow was right next to his face so he turned his head slightly and that insane smell was stronger. This, he knew, was going to end up being a really long night.

"Daryl?" She whispered.

"Hmmm?" Was all he managed.

She sounded like she was damn near asleep already. "I'm glad you were with me today." She mumbled.

"Me too."

She rolled over onto her back but the arm she had around his neck forced him to move with her until his face was pressed against her neck.

"Carol?"

"Hmmm..."

"Next time this happens can you try to not smell so fuckin' good?" He croaked. But he didn't think she heard him. Her breathing was too deep for her to be awake. But he was. And he knew he was going to be for a long time. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly and then groaned again. He must have been a closet masochist. I he wasn't he would have moved as far away from her as he could get.

~H~

Carol wasn't sure what had woken her up. The rain had stopped and the night was eerily silent. She heard the snap of a twig somewhere in the distance and then she saw Daryl's eyes open. The man really didn't miss anything.

Another sound and he sat up and reached for his crossbow. He shoved something into her hands and then he crawled to the opening and unzipped it. He had handed her his knife. He stuck his head out and listened for a second and then looked back at her.

"We gotta move now." He barely whispered. "Stay with me. No matter what happens you have to stay with me, you understand?"

She nodded, wide eyed and she was right behind him when he slipped out of the tent. He scanned the trees and then grabbed her hand and took off running towards the main camp. He skidded around the side of Ricks tent.

"Rick!" He hissed. "Walkers."

It couldn't have been a second later Rick was shoving guns out of the tent and crawling out himself. Lori and the kids were right behind him. Rick ran towards the R.V. And Sophia ran to Carol. Carol shoved the girl behind herself and then looked towards her and Daryl's camp. She gasped. They were everywhere.

"Your fine." He growled as he raised the crossbow and shot one in the head.

Suddenly the whole group was there and everyone was armed. Everyone except her, who didn't even know how to fire a weapon. The shots were deafening and a lot of Walkers were falling but it seemed like more and more were there to replace the ones that went down. Carol heard a scream in the distance but she couldn't tell who it was.

"Daryl!" Rick yelled from about ten feet away. "There's too many. We have to go!"

Daryl nodded took Carols hand again and ran with her to the truck. Sophia had a hold of the back of her shirt. When they reached the truck Daryl nearly threw the girl inside the cab. When Carol turned around she nearly screamed. She could still hear gunshots but there was no way they could win. There were Walkers everywhere. Daryl yanked her back then and shoved her into the truck as well. He revved the engine and then they were speeding down the gravel road.

Carol turned around in the seat and saw more lights behind them. Daryl didn't swerve when he saw the Walkers. He plowed right through them. Carol couldn't stop thinking about that scream. At least one of them, she knew, hadn't made it. And if it hadn't been for Daryl's early warning none of them would have.

"You two alright?" He asked once they hit the highway.

Carol glanced down at Sophia who looked terrified but was dry eyed. "We're fine. But how did you know they were coming?" She glanced over at him.

He glanced her way and the corner of his mouth twitched but it wasn't a real smile. "You're kinda distractin' while your asleep. Kept me awake. I heard'em before they got too close."

"Where are we going?" Sophia asked.

Daryl glanced up in the rear view mirror. "I don't know, kid. But we're getting' the fuck away from here."

"Do you think everybody made it?" Sophia asked.

Before Carol could say anything Daryl shook his head. "No. Not everybody."

"Daryl." Carol whispered, giving him a look.

"If she asks me somethin' then I'm gonna give it to her straight." He said as he glanced at her.

Carol sighed but she knew he was right. No one had time for half truths or pretty lies anymore. It was all cold facts and harsh reality. It was just another thing for her to be angry about.


	13. Chapter 13

**I haven't slept much since starting this story and when I wake up, after making the coffee of course, which has become an integral part of my day ;) the first thing I do is get right back on here again to write more. I look forward to reading all of your reviews! They are so great and it's that (And the caffeine) that keeps me in the mood to write more. So thank you for them! I hope this is another one that you enjoy. Have a great morning! =)**

Chapter Thirteen

They drove for about a half an hour before Daryl pulled over. The caravan behind him did the same.

"Stay in the truck." He grumbled as he went to open the door.

"No!" Carol grabbed his arm.

He sighed without looking at her. "Fine. Stubborn ass woman."

She scooted out on his side and helped Sophia out of the truck. It had been Rick and his family driving behind them and Lori pulled Carol to her as Carl and Sophia hugged one another tightly.

"I'm so glad you made it." Lori cried. She let go of Carol and then hugged Sophia. She turned back to Carol with tear streaked eyes. "When I turned around she was just gone. Rick swore he saw Daryl put her in the truck but I wasn't sure."

"She's fine." Carol reassured her softly. She kept her hand on Sophia's shoulder.

Andrea and Amy bolted out of the R.V. Andrea kept her arm around Amy and they were both crying. Shane pulled up behind them in his Jeep.

"You saved damn near the whole camp Dixon." Shane said as he ran towards them.

Andrea threw herself at Carol so hard that she actually stumbled backwards a foot or more. "We didn't see you guys. We weren't sure if you made it out or not." Andrea's voice was full of emotion.

Dale, Glen and T-dog were the next to join the crowd on the road.

"Is this it?" Carol asked. Searching behind everyone else for Jim and Jackie.

Dale patted her shoulder and she felt Daryl's hand slide into her own. "Jim and Jackie didn't make it." Dale said sadly.

"None of us would have made it if it wasn't for Daryl." Glen said quietly and then everyone nodded in agreement.

Daryl took a step back, clearly not enjoying the attention.

"You saved almost this whole group, Daryl." Andrea said thickly, "My sister's alive because of you."

"So what the hell do we do now?" Daryl asked, trying to get the attention off himself.

Rick looked over at Shane who nodded. "Stick to the plan I guess. Try our luck at the CDC."

The men decided to go over the map that Dale had in the R.V. Dale and Glen climbed onto the top and sat back to back to keep watch for more Walkers.

"Stay right here." Daryl said in Carols ear as the men motioned for him to join them. He glanced down at Sophia and then, to Carol's surprise, he took her hand and led her off with him.

Andrea was next to her now, watching them go with a mildly amused expression on her face. "Full of surprises, huh?"

Carol nodded. "That he is."

She looked over at Carol then, her expression serious now. "I know your tired of the questions. I do. And I know that your business is your business, but you have to tell me. Is any of this working? Or are the two of you really just going to fight it and play the friend card for the rest of your lives?"

Carol frowned. "Is any of what working?" She was surprised that Andrea was asking her anything at all. She had been the one that had been quiet about the whole thing. She had even defended her when Lori wouldn't shut up.

Andrea looked around but the only person near them was Amy, who was tucked into Andrea's side. Amy was the one that looked up and answered her. "Andrea messed the tent up on purpose because she knew that Daryl wouldn't let you go anywhere without him and she knew it was going to rain. And then when Glen went on his run she added some sexy smell good stuff to the list so she could try to get you to use it. She's trying to get you two to see what the rest of us have been seeing for days now."

Carol didn't say anything. She just stared at them, not really knowing what to say. Andrea was starting to look embarrassed.

"Look, I know that it wasn't my place to get involved and I didn't have any right to interfere but I didn't think either of you would do anything on your own. You would never just ask him to share a tent with you."

Carol still just stared.

"Carol, I'm sorry. I really was trying to help." Andrea said in a strained voice. "You're my friend and he's good for you. I saw that right away."

Carol laughed. She hadn't meant too but there it was. She covered her mouth. Andrea looked relieved and she gave Carol a warm look.

"Andrea," Carol said with a sad smile of her own. "I think you have way too much time on your hands. Maybe we should start worrying more about finding you a man than myself."

"That's exactly what I told her." Amy said.

They stood in silence for a while. Each lost in their own thoughts until the men emerged from the camper and Daryl and Sophia stalked towards her. Carol couldn't help but notice how close he kept the girl. It should have made her happy but it just made her feel that much worse. Daryl, in all actuality, barely knew them and already he had shown more concern for the girl than he her own father. Carol would never forgive herself for that.

~H~

Daryl noticed that lost look on Carol's face right away. He thought that maybe it was the news that Jim and Jackie hadn't made it but it was the same mask she had worn in the tent before he had turned off the flashlight. It made him feel powerless and that was something that he couldn't stand.

When she saw them coming she tried to smile but it was a pale imitation compared to the real thing. Andrea gave him a nod before she steered her sister off towards the R.V.

"So, what do we do now?" Carol asked. She sounded tired. Drained.

"There's a town maybe an hour from here. Rick said we should check it out and find a place to rest up. Then we can head for the city in the mornin'." He looked down at the top of Sophia's head. "Dale said that her and Carl can ride in with them but it's up to you."

Carol wasn't sure. The camper would be much more comfortable and she trusted everyone in it to keep the kids safe but after tonight she wasn't sure how she felt about Sophia being away from her. Sophia gave her a hopeful look. She looked back up at Daryl "You think it's a good idea?"

He shrugged. "That's where most of the guns are. She'll be better protected in that thing than she would be in the truck. We don't plan on stoppin' anywhere anyway. It's a straight shot from here as long as we don't run into any road blocks."

She debated for another long moment but then finally nodded. Sophia hugged her tightly and then took off. They both watched until she was in the camper.

He studied Carols face. She looked worn out and it was hard telling how long it would take them to find a place to hole up. "Maybe you should ride with Dale too. Get some sleep or somethin'. It probably sleeps better than the tent does."

She shook her head. "No."

"Suit yourself then." He shrugged indifferently but he was grinning like a kid on the inside.

She got in beside him and shut the door quietly. It was an old truck with a bench seat so their wasn't anything keeping her by the door. She slid all the way over next to him and then yawned loudly.

"You sure you don't wanna ride with them? You need to sleep." He wanted her there but he didn't want her to be exhausted.

"I can sleep here." And to prove her point she slid down and curled up on the seat with her head in his lap.

His grip on the steering wheel was so hard that his knuckles were white as bone in the dim light. He glanced down and then back up at the road and then back down. He really needed to start thinking about something else. Anything else. Anything at all other than her head in his lap. Think about the Walkers. Think about the CDC. Think about anything else.

He looked in the rear view mirror and saw that he was way ahead of the others. The speedometer said he was pushing 85 miles an hour. He eased his foot off the accelerator and then hit the breaks a bit.

Her breath felt hot on his thigh. He was learning how to deal with a lot of things. Things he laughed off now would have surely caused him to go into fits a week ago but he was about to have to tell her to get her fucking face away from his crotch. Not that he was opposed to things like Carol's face next to any part of his body, especially his crotch but, he needed to drive and he couldn't think about driving right now. He normally wasn't a praying man but right then he was praying that she wouldn't move her head any further. She might find herself getting offended and then he'd surely just want to die. Why was all this always so damn awkward? This woman was surely going to kill him.

She raised back up and looked at him. As soon as her head was away from him he blew out a breath, causing his cheeks to puff out. He hadn't known he was holding his breath at all. "Why are you so tense?" She asked as she arched an eyebrow at him.

"I ain't." He said in a voice that was way more husky than he would have liked.

"Yes you are. Did you want me to ride with Dale? If you want some time to yourself then that's okay. I've been like your shadow for the last few days."

He glanced at her again and she was looking at him intently with those blue eyes. "No. If I didn't want you around don't you think I would tell you that? I ain't known for my winnin' personality around here, ya know? I kinda say shit that people don't wanna hear." He snorted.

She nodded. "I noticed."

"So then quit askin' stupid questions then."

From the corner of his eye he could see her smile. And then she surprised him once again by leaning in and kissing him on the jaw. His breath caught in his throat and he swerved but righted the truck quickly. His skin felt hot where her lips had just been.

"The hell was that for?" he grumbled.

"For just being you." She smiled and laid her head back down on his lap but his mind was too preoccupied with that small kiss to think about much else.

She seemed to be asleep just a few short minutes later. "I damn sure ain't no prize, woman." He said quietly as he laid his hand on her shoulder.

~H~

She heard what he said right before she drifted off and it caused her to frown. It was obvious that Daryl Dixon did not see himself clearly at all.

She didn't know how long she had slept when she felt him shaking her shoulder. It didn't seem like she hadn't slept much at all and she was so tired. All she wanted to do was sleep. She thought she could sleep for a month if she ever got the chance. She felt like she couldn't wake up all the way but she still raised up and looked at him groggily.

"We're here." He said quietly and then he frowned. "You alright?" He cupped her face in his rough hand and ran his thumb across her cheek bone. This woke her up a bit and she found herself leaning into his hand.

"I'm fine. Just tired." She said sleepily.

His hand lingered for a moment but he eventually pulled it away and hopped down from the truck. Rick and the others were already out of their vehicles and looked to be waiting on them. Carol glanced around. It was still dark but she had no idea what time it could be. The town wasn't much of a town but it was kind of cute. About seven building on each side of the street made the town an actual town. The rest was just houses of different styles. The breeze blew and she could hear the sounds of wind chimes in the distance.

"I figure we can check out one of the houses. All of us can hole up in one for tonight if we can get it secure. Looks like the windows have already been boarded up on a few of them." Rick said to the others. "We can get someone to stay on watch. That's somethin' we should have done at camp and somethin' I think we should do from now on no matter where we end up.

"I can take watch." Daryl said.

T-dog shook his head. "Man, you been drivin'. You gotta drive when we head out in the mornin' too. Me and Glen can sleep in the camper, just like we've been doin'. We'll take watch." He nodded towards Carol then. "Looks like you got somethin' else to take care of. Looks to me like she's already asleep on her feet."

She tried to open her eyes a little wider. They were all looking at her and she sighed. "I'm fine." She argued but she could hear the slur of her own words.

"I'm thinking maybe the shock of everything that's happened to her today is catching up with her." Dale said wisely. "You need to find yourselves a bed so she can sleep this off."

She was about to argue when she suddenly felt like the earth shifted under her feet and she felt strong arms wrap around her before she hit the ground. And then there was nothing but darkness.

**I just realized something. I'm constantly putting these two in these awkward sexual situations. lol I'm not even TRYING to do that. It's just sort of funny and so I always end up going there. And to think, a few chapters ago I called you all perverts. I'm totally ashamed of myself for that since this story is full of THAT and I'm the one writing it. So, my sincerest apologies ;) And I spent all of two minutes thinking up this story before I dashed to the computer like an addict and just started writing. I know what's going to happen only about an hour before the rest of you. XD So, it's just a journey for all of us I suppose so bear with me through all of the sexual tension. Because I suppose, dear readers, that it is ME that just may be the pervert here ;) **

**Okay... I think I may go nap or something. I'm being deliriously charming this morning and it is quite frightening! 3**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm so glad you all like this story so much. You've all been so great with all the reviews and I can't say it enough, THANK YOU! Hope you like this chapter! I know I do ;) It gets a little less awkward and a little more hot. lol Bout time, right?**

Chapter Fourteen

Daryl slipped back into the room that he had first brought Carol too. Sophia sat on the bed next to her mom, staring at a spot on the floor. She looked up when she heard the door shut. "She hasn't woke up yet." She whispered.

Daryl looked at the bed and sure enough Carol hadn't moved. None of them really had any medical training so no one could say for sure what had happened but they had been in the town for most of the day and for that whole time Carol slept. Dale said that it had to be the shock and that he was sure that her brain just needed time to sort out everything that had happened.

"Daryl, is she gonna wake up?" Sophia asked.

He nodded. "She's gonna be just fine. Ain't no sense in you sittin' in here anymore worryin'. Lori fixed some food and wants you to come down so you can eat somethin'."

"But if she wakes up..."

Daryl didn't let her finish. "When she wakes up I'm gonna be here. She see's I let you sit up here and fret over her and then she'll have my ass. I ain't in the mood for any of her sassin' so go on."

Sophia smiled sadly but stood up and walked towards the door. "Why couldn't she have ran into you about thirteen years ago?" She shook her head and slipped out the door, closing it quietly behind her.

"The hell's that suppose to mean?" He grumbled.

Rick and Lori had both told him that he needed to sleep. He hadn't been able to so he was in and out of this room all day. Now it was early evening and he was tired and hot and the bed looked really good right now. And she was there.

He stripped off his shirt and hung it on one of the bed posts and then crawled in behind her. He didn't know why everyone called it his room. She was the one sleeping in it. But he hadn't even thought about going to sleep in any of the other rooms. He told himself it was because he didn't want her to wake up alone and freak out. In truth he couldn't do it. It wasn't about her at all. It was about him.

Her back was to him and he laid on his side and stared at the back of her neck. He could make out each individual finger Ed had pressed into her skin. The bruises were bad. She really was lucky that he hadn't crushed her windpipe. She moved in her sleep. Of course she scooted herself back until she was pressed against him.

"You really need to wake up, woman." He whispered and then wrapped his arm around her middle and closed his eyes.

~H~

The first thing that Carol noticed was the feel of a soft mattress under her. What the hell was she doing in a bed? She knew instantly that it was a bed and she couldn't figure out why she would be in one. And then fear seized her when she thought that maybe the last few weeks had been a dream. That she was really at home, in her own bed with Ed.

But then she realized that Ed couldn't be the person behind her. There was an arm wrapped around her and fingers intertwined with her own and then she heard him mumble something in his sleep. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Relief? She was relieved to find herself still struggling for survival at the end of the world? That was better than waking up at home with her husband? A warm breath caressed the back of her neck and she smiled a little. Definitely better.

The second thing she noticed was that she really really needed to pee. But she had no idea where she was. Where the rest of her group was. How she had gotten here. If everyone was okay. She stiffened. Sophia! The thought of not knowing where her daughter was had her whole body tensing.

"Carol?" She heard his gruff voice whisper in the dark.

"Where are we? Is Sophia..."

"She's fine. We're in a house." She felt him raise up and then his hand was on her shoulder, pulling her so she was on her back instead of facing away from him. The room was pitch black. "Are you alright? You just fuckin' passed out on me out there." From the sound of it his face was very close to hers.

"I did?" She didn't remember much. She remembered being in the truck and she remembered falling asleep with her head in his lap. She didn't remember anything after that.

"You did. Scared the fuck outta me." He sounded almost angry.

She reached up with one hand and found his face. Her fingers traced the line of his jaw, his chin, when her fingertips grazed across his lips they parted and his hot breath poured over her palm and for a second all she could think about was how soft those lips felt and then how good they would feel if she just had the nerve to pull his face closer to hers... And then she dropped her hand away as fear settled in. What the hell was she thinking? He was the best thing in her life other than Sophia. She couldn't mess that up.

"I gotta pee." She said. There, that should kill the mood real quick.

He laughed. "I bet you do. You've been asleep for about twenty four hours now."

Her hand shot back up to press against his chest, he was half leaning over her and when her hand touched his bare skin she nearly gasped. She forgot what she was about to say. Forgot what she was about to do. Instead she moved her hand across the smoothness of his chest and then down his side to his waist and then around his lower back and then back around to his stomach and back up to his chest again where her tentative journey had begun. He'd never taken his shirt off before. The other times she had been this close to him he was always fully dressed. She found it hard to keep her hand still. She just wanted to feel more of that skin.

He had become perfectly still as she explored him but suddenly his hand grabbed her wrist and shoved it roughly above her head, pinning it there. Uh oh. Hadn't she just been cursing herself for thinking about his lips? She really opened up a can of worms with this one. But he didn't do anything else, just held her wrist there above her head, breathing heavily. Then she realized that she was breathing just as heavily as he was and her whole body was on fire. There were things coming awake inside her that she didn't even know were there to wake up.

Her other hand came up and snaked around his neck and everything in her was screaming for her to pull him closer, everything except her brain that was screaming for her to stop. That it wasn't worth it. That she could lose him if she didn't stop now. What had Ed said to her? Was it true? And then suddenly he was moving on his own, coming closer. His hand let go of her wrist and slid lightly down the length of her arm until he reached her face where he let his thumb slide along the line of her jaw.

She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his face closer to hers and then he closed the distance, barely brushing his lips against hers and that was all it took. She crushed her lips against the softness of his, and then he was pulling on her bottom lip gently with his teeth. He growled low in his throat and then his tongue met hers, soft but insistent. It seemed to go on like that forever. And she could have let it. His hand slid down from her neck, across her collar bone, lingering on the soft swell of her breast and then down lower across the flat planes of her stomach and then, so slowly she wanted to scream, he slipped that painfully slow hand between her legs. She was still completely dressed and she cursed those clothes all the way to the pits of hell.

She moved against his hand which caused him to make another low sound in his throat and she heard herself moan softly. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She felt like a teenager that was experimenting for the first time. She didn't want it to stop. She wanted things to go much much further so she hated doing what she had to do.

She put her hand on his chest and pushed him back a little. He stopped instantly, which she thought was really sweet. "We have to stop." She whispered.

He let out a breath but moved his hand away, resting it on her thigh instead. "I figured you'd come to your senses sooner or later." He bent his head low and kissed a trail down her neck.

"Shut up, Daryl." She laughed lightly but moved her head over, exposing more of her neck to him.

A soft knock at the door had her sitting up and him moving away. The door opened and soft light came in. Andrea stepped into the room, holding a candle. For once Amy wasn't with her.

Daryl pulled the pillow out from under his head and placed it over the front of his pants as he made an annoyed sound. Carol kept her eyes on Andrea and tried not to giggle like a high school girl.

"You're awake! You scared the hell out of all of us." Andrea whispered.

She sat the candle down on the table and put her hands on her hips. She looked back and forth between the two of them for a few seconds. "I feel fine now." Carol said hastily.

Andrea frowned. "You look really flushed, are you sure your feeling okay?" She placed her cool hand on Carol's forehead.

Carol just nodded. "I feel fine." She repeated.

"Daryl, Rick wants you on watch. So far we haven't seen anything so he thinks one on watch is enough."

"Son of a bitch." He grumbled.

Andrea smiled. "Sorry. Don't kill the messenger." She looked back at Carol and then held out her hand. "Come on, lets get some food in you before you pass out again. Daryl, you coming?"

He just glared at her for a second and then he flicked his eyes towards Carol who was now standing next to her. "Someday." He growled.

Andrea just shrugged and pulled Carol towards the door, leaving the candle on the nightstand. Carol shot him a grin before she pulled the door closed.

~H~

Daryl shoved the pillow back under his head and laid there for a few more minutes. His mind was racing, thoughts chasing one another around in his head. He was surprised at himself. He was pretty much a sexual retard but he seemed to be able to coax a rise out of her. He thought about how he had gotten into this situation to begin with. Merle would kill him. He already knew that. But Merle was gone and Daryl didn't really care what Merle would have to say either way. Merle didn't know shit about actually caring about another person. Especially a woman. Daryl knew of plenty of Merle's conquests. But that's all they ever were. Carol wasn't anything like that.

He didn't understand what she saw in him. He was nothing. He knew it and so did everybody else. Just a white trash redneck that sure as shit hadn't ever done anything good enough to deserve a real woman. Not like her. Not somebody that good.

He sat up and let out a sigh. He was getting in over his head and he knew it. He didn't have anything to offer her and if he dove in any deeper it was just going to be that much harder on him when she finally realized that he wasn't anybody that she needed around. And now he was just feeling sorry for his stupid self. Another thing Merle would kick his ass for. But even as he told himself this he knew it didn't matter. Daryl Dixon was fucking hooked on a woman. If someone would have told him that this would have happened a week ago he would have told them they were crazy.

He snatched up his shirt and headed for the door, candle in hand. He'd just let it all play out. See what happened. If she figured out that he wasn't nothing but a dumb shit then so be it. But he was gonna try to be the type of man she deserved from here on out. Try being the key word. He was still just Daryl but so far that seemed to be fine with her.

He made his way down the stairs silently. As far as he could tell being on watch just meant someone sat on their ass on the porch and waited for something to come along. He hated that. He needed something to do. He could name plenty of things he'd rather be doing. He remember that insane heat under his palm. The way she moved against his hand and that sound that she let slip from her throat.

He blew out a breath and stepped out onto the porch. He needed to get all that out of his head. He needed to be alert, not daydreaming about...

"Bout time." Carol looked up from where she was sitting on the top step and smiled.

He couldn't help but grin. "The hell you doin' out here?"

She held up a bowl and then shrugged. "Eating dinner and keeping you from falling asleep out here all by yourself."

He sat down and leaned his back against the wooden banister and watched her for a minute. He had one knee pulled up and his other leg on the step. "You ain't gotta sit here, ya know. It's pretty dull from what I hear." He glanced down the street and saw a bunch of nothing. He sighed.

She sat the bowl down and moved closer. She settle herself between his legs and leaned her back into his chest. His arms instantly slid around her waist without him even thinking about it. "What's your favorite color, Dixon?" She asked.

"What?" He laughed as he rested his chin on top of her head.

"Just answer the question."

That's how they spent the rest of the night. She asked him more questions than he thought anybody ever had in his life. And he even answered them honestly. Even when the questions got harder. Questions about his family. Where he grew up. What him and Merle did for fun. Others were pretty easy like when his birthday was. And how many women he'd had. The answer to that one shocked her pretty good.

By the time the sun started coming up he was pretty sure she had a good idea of just exactly who he was. And he liked the fact that she seemed to like him anyway.


	15. Chapter 15

**Here is another for you lovely folks. Hope it helps brighten your morning! I really like this chapter for some reason. I don't know why =) Anyway, Happy Friday! **

Chapter Fifteen

The sun was up long before anyone came out to relieve Daryl from watch. Carol had stayed the whole time. She wasn't tired after sleeping for so long and she was starting to think that Dale had been right. She must have been in shock. She was glad she had stayed with him.

The plan was to scavenge around in the town and then move on to look for the CDC. It was a little sad to her. Everyone else had gotten the chance to enjoy a whole day of living in a real house again and she had spent the whole time sleeping off the horrors of her last day at camp. She didn't really want to go to the CDC. She wasn't sure f if she wanted to know what was really happening. At least as long as they were only speculating then they could all harbor a little hope. These people could confirm all of their worst fears and then that would only leave them all desolate and hopeless.

It was Dale who came out to relieve them. They were in almost the same intimate position as before. Her sitting between his legs with his arms wrapped around her. But Dale, just being Dale only gave them a smile and sat down on the top step.

"Glad that rain finally passed us." He said as he glanced up and down the street.

"Me too." Carol said as she looked up at the sky. Not a trace of a cloud marred the blue expanse.

"You know, you gave everyone quite a scare." He said as he met her eyes.

She chuckled. "That's what I hear.

"If it hadn't been for Daryl there I think that little girl of yours would have been more scared than she already was. I'm not a relationship specialist or anything but I'm pretty sure you've found yourself a keeper." Dale smiled. "Especially since everyone here pretty much owes them their life.

She felt Daryl shift uncomfortably behind her and it made her smile widen. No one said anything for a few more minutes but then Carol reluctantly moved herself away from Daryl's warm body. She took Dales hand in one of hers and patted the back of it with the other. "Dale, I'm really sorry about Jim. Jackie too of course, but I know how close you and Jim had become." She said softly.

Dale looked at her with sad eyes and nodded. "We were lucky to have had them for as long as we did. I guess this just taught us that we have to stick together more."

Carol smiled and then stood up after giving his hand one final pat. Daryl followed her into the house. It was one of those older Victorian houses that she had always loved. Everything about houses like that appealed to her. They weren't just beautifully built but also sturdy. Strong. She glanced behind her at Daryl standing in front of the door. She smirked. She definitely had good taste.

It was something else to watch. With her he was becoming an open book but as soon as other people came around he closed right back up. It made her wonder what kind of man he would have become without the constant influence of his brother. But then she shook her head. She didn't even want to know what he could have been because what he was was what mattered. He was amazing.

"The hell you starin' at me like that for?" He asked gruffly.

She couldn't help but laugh. Yeah, he was most definitely perfect. "No reason." She smiled and they followed the voices coming from down the hall.

Sophia almost mowed her over when she entered the kitchen. She hugged her back tightly and shot Lori a thankful look. She assumed Lori had been the one taking care of her daughter while she was in her self induced sleep and she was grateful.

Sophia looked up at her and gave her a grin. "Mom, your clothes smell like Daryl."

Carol heard him groan behind her and then felt her cheeks heat up. Several people in the kitchen laughed lightly. Sophia must have realized that she shouldn't have said that out loud and she almost looked as embarrassed as Carol felt.

Everyone had something to say to her. She didn't think she had ever been hugged so much in her life and it really did make her feel good. It had been so long since she had had any friends and all these people really seemed to care. The only person who she had known to care about her at all, for longer than she could remember, was Sophia.

Shane and Rick entered the kitchen and she was surprised to find herself being pulled into Ricks arms. "Lady, you had me worried!" He said as he held her at arms length and looked her over. "I'm glad you're doing better. You actually look really good. You needed that rest."

"Thank you, Rick." She said, feeling another blush coming on from all the attention.

It was apparently Shane's turn and she almost cried out when he hugged her tightly around the waist and then actually lifted her off her feet. Shane was really okay as far as men went. He had stuck up for her, nearly took Ed's head off after he had hit her and had been kind to her even before Rick had showed up at camp. But all she wanted at the moment was for him to put her down. He took her hands and stepped back looking her over. "Rick's right. You look like a new woman today." He finally dropped his hands and she gave him a polite smile.

"Thanks, Shane." She took a few steps back, until she felt Daryl's chest against her back. Shane didn't look put off at all. He just smirked and shoved his hands in his pocket. What the hell was going on here?

She didn't turn to look at Daryl, afraid of what she might see and then her eyes zeroed in on something else. Sophia. Her sweet, shy, quiet daughter was sitting at the table with Carl and the look on her face was shocking. Her eyes were narrowed and her mouth was set in a grim line, her jaw was even clenched like she was grinding her teeth together. And that ferocious look was aimed right at Shane. She was surprised at the girl and then she was surprised again when she felt Daryl's slide over her hip.

~H~

That mother fucker! Daryl had to clench his teeth together when that idiot Shane had grabbed hold of her like that and picked her up off the floor. But then he looked right at Daryl over her shoulder and grinned. And then the son of bitch winked at him! He was doing it just to piss him off.

He felt a little better when Shane had put her back down and she backed into him. At least she seemed as though she hadn't liked it. Shane wasn't looking their way anymore. His eyes flashed over to Rick who just gave him an exasperated look and shook his head.

He didn't want to get into a pissing contest with this guy. Daryl already knew that he wasn't at all skilled at this sort of thing. He was capable of a lot. But he was over his head when it came to this shit. Shane wasn't. He was right in his element. All confident swagger and all Daryl was doing was barely keeping his head above the water. Stupid asshole. He wanted to hit the guy. Or at least throw a chair at him. Something.

He actually looked towards the table to see how sturdy the chairs were and then he was surprised at what his eyes found. There was Sophia, looking on at Shane with a look that would have been scary if she had been a bit bigger. She was pissed. He almost laughed. This kid had spark. But now he understood what she had meant about Shane. It didn't seem like Carol was much interested in his game but he didn't seem like the kind of guy that lost very often when he wanted a woman. The guy needed to watch his back because this kid looked like she meant business.

She got up out of her chair and looked as though she would storm out of the kitchen but on her way out she grabbed Daryl's hand and looked up, her angry eyes flashing. "I need to talk to you." She said in a low voice. "Alone."

Carol looked down at her and then back up to Daryl. He just gave her a shrug and let Sophia march him out of the room. She dragged him down the hall and then into a room that looked like it had been a study or office of some sort. She slammed the door closed and turned around with her arms crossed. He just stared at her, his own hands on his hips.

"Daryl, what are you doing?" She asked, eying him with those angry eyes.

"What? I ain't done nothin'." He said as she approached him.

She stood right in front of him and looked up. "Exactly." She hissed. "You can't just stand there and let Shane try to move in on my mom. You have to try harder, Daryl."

He narrowed his eyes. "The fuck you want me to do? Kick his ass for huggin' her? Look, kid. I ain't got no claim on her."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Didn't you listen to me? I see a lot more than people think. I saw you two on the porch this morning. If that isn't a claim then I don't know what is. But if you let him do things like that then she's just going to think that you don't mind and you mind. I know you mind."

He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at the floor. "You're right. I mind." This kid was something else. He felt like he was being chastised but it was almost funny. Almost. Hell, even the kid could see how bad he was struggling here.

She gave him a smile. "So are you going to try harder?"

He blew out a breath and scowled at her. She didn't seem to be bothered by it. "What the hell do you want me to do?"

She shrugged. "Have you kissed her yet?"

He gaped at her. "What? Are you serious? I ain't gonna stand here and talk to you about this shit. This is stupid." He went to walk out of the room but she grabbed hold of his hand again, stopping him.

"No it isn't. You have to show her that you care, Daryl. Do something you normally wouldn't do. Just let her know."

"I've been doin' that, damn it. I've been doin' it for days. I ain't worried about Shane and your mom and we're done here, kid. When the hell did you learn so much about all this grown up shit anyway?"

She snorted. "I guess by watching Shane and Lori. And you do need to worry about it. You think he's gonna drop it? This is fun for him."

"Oh, God. That's it. We're done. Let's go." He couldn't believe her.

He grabbed her hand and was about to storm out when the door opened and Carol eyed them with a frown. "What are you two up too?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Nothing." They said in unison.

Carol crossed her arms and stared at them. "Really?"

"We were just talking, mom. No big deal." Sophia said as she looked back up at him.

"About what?" Carol asked.

They both shrugged and then Daryl realized that the girls hand was still in his and he dropped it. "Sophia's nosy. Just had some questions for me I guess." He said.

Sophia shot him a warning look.

"Oh?" Carol looked them over again. "What kind of question's?"

Daryl and Sophia shared a look and then the girl sighed. She was about to give herself up but Daryl cut her off right when she opened her mouth to say something.

"Huntin'." he said quickly. It was the first thing that popped into his head. He didn't want the kid in trouble. She was just worried about her mom.

Sophia shot him a grateful look. "I was thinking about learning some time. I figured he would be the one to ask."

"You want to learn to hunt? Sophia, you used to cry when you dad watched hunting shows on T.V." Carol said with a soft smile.

Daryl bit his lip. That would have been good to know before he had opened his mouth.

Sophia just shrugged. "That was different. I would only hunt for food. You know, survival and stuff. It's a new world, mom."

Carol frowned and kept glancing between them. "Okay then. Carl was looking for you, sweetheart."

Sophia nodded, looked up at Daryl once more and then took off.

"Hunting? Really?" Carol asked, still not convinced.

Daryl nodded. "Yep."

"Isn't she too young for that?" Carol asked.

He scoffed. "I've been huntin' since I could walk. Can't be too young."

"Well maybe I'll learn. I need to learn to do something."

He frowned. "You do plenty."

Now it was her that scoffed. "Are you kidding?"

He shook his head. "You take care of people. It's what your good at."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "That's not very helpful. I'd like to learn to do more. And it would be smart to at least learn how to use a gun."

He nodded. "I can do that."

"Really? I'm glad." She turned to leave and then glanced back at him over her shoulder. "I thought I'd have to ask Shane to show me."

He narrowed his eyes. "Real cute, Carol." He grumbled.


	16. Chapter 16

**I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far! I haven't been home so this chapter is late. I'm sorry! Hope you like it!**

Chapter Sixteen

Carol volunteered to go with the first group to do some scavenging. They needed some more supplies since they weren't sure what they may run into on their way to the CDC. Lucky for her Shane had already volunteered earlier. Daryl was also going and Andrea decided that this was too interesting to miss. She had actually said that to Carol as they leaned against the counter in the kitchen. Lori hadn't said much to her for the rest of the morning.

"I think what we need to do first is hit up the jail if they have one. There may still be guns and ammo in there. Rick, he did pretty good with the gun's he brought but we could always use more." Shane said as they made their way down the sidewalk towards the tiny town.

They were all quiet until they reached the building that said police. Literally, a wooden sign hung beside the door with the word POLICE etched into it.

"Probably ain't gonna find much in there." Daryl said, his voice glum.

"Well, it's worth a shot anyway. We need more weapons." Shane said as he tried the door. It was locked and so he drew his leg back like he was going to kick the glass out.

Daryl shoved him before he had a chance to do it and then Shane turned on him, his face an angry mask.

"The fuck you tryna' do, dumb ass." Daryl growled. "You start bustin' out glass every geek around is gonna come runnin'."

Shane lumbered towards him, not stopping until they were basically chest to chest. "You wanna put your hands on me again, asshole?" Shane growled between clenched teeth.

Daryl apparently took that as an invitation because to Carol's horror he shoved Shane backwards and then ran towards him, ramming his shoulder into Shane's stomach. They both went sprawling onto the sidewalk.

"Oh shit!" Andrea cried as she rushed towards the two men.

They were rolling around on the sidewalk and every time either of them landed a punch Carol flinched. She knew she should do something but she wasn't sure what she should do.

"Stop it!" Andrea hissed as she grabbed at Shane's arm right before his fist came down. He was on top of Daryl now and when his fist connected with Daryl's brow bone his knuckles came back up slick with blood.

Carol watched, completely stunned, as Daryl shook off the blow and then brought his knee up and slammed it hard into Shane's groin. Shane hissed in pain and that distraction was all Daryl needed to shove Shane off of him. Shane rolled onto his back as he clutched himself.

Daryl wasn't done, he launched himself on top of the other man and punched him hard in the face twice before Carol finally snapped out of it and ran towards them. Andrea was standing there with her hands on her hips looking quite disgusted. Carol grabbed his forearm just as he was about to bring it down into Shane's face again.

"Enough." She said quietly and his arm froze but the muscles there were still flexed under her fingers.

He looked at her and blew out a breath. He looked pissed but he did push himself up and away from Shane.

Daryl picked up his crossbow and shoved his head threw the strap. He didn't even glance down at Shane before he stormed off back towards the house. He had a nasty cut above the corner of his eye that was bleeding freely and there was a small cut on the corner of his mouth and another on his cheekbone.

She spared a glance at Andrea before she took off after him. Andrea nodded to her as she stood over Shane. Hands still planted firmly on her hips, glowering. Shane's nose was busted and his eye was already starting to swell. It would look pretty ugly tomorrow.

She caught up with him quickly and fell in step next to him. He looked like he was still angry but when he glanced down at her he offered her a smirk.

"You okay?" She asked, not sure what else to say.

He snorted. "That wasn't nothin'. Shoulda seen me and Merle. Shane ain't got shit on him."

Carol just nodded. She wasn't a fan of violence really. She thought she had seen enough of that to last her a lifetime. But there was something about Daryl and Shane beating the crap out of each other that caused a different reaction than what she had expected. They were two grown men. Both strong. And watching them like that, well, the only word she could use to describe the scene was... sexy. She laughed out loud to herself, causing Daryl to look down at her with a questioning look in his eye.

"I'm sorry." She said, shaking her head back and forth quickly. "That wasn't funny. You should both be ashamed of yourselves."

He gave her a strange look and then studied her face carefully and then stopped in the middle of the road. "You enjoyed that." He accused.

She narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "I did not."

He narrowed his own eyes as he kept on studying her. "You're face is all flushed and your eyes are big and bright like some kid. That's why you didn't stop it sooner."

She dropped her hands and started to walk away. "You're ridiculous, Daryl Dixon."

He barked out a laugh and caught up with her easily. He draped his arm across her shoulders, still laughing. "You get all hot and bothered by two grown men fightin'? I woulda never guessed it."

Of course he had jokes. "That is not even true. The two of you looked like animals."

"Hey, that wasn't me. He started it."

Carol just shook her head. "Let's just hurry. That needs to be cleaned. Dale has a decent supply of first aid stuff in the R.V."

"This really ain't nothin' to worry about. I've had a lot worse that went untreated. I'll live." He argued, not used to anyone making a fuss over him.

"Well that was before you met me. And I'll worry if I want. There isn't any hospitals or doctors anymore and you can't risk any of that getting infected."

He sighed. "Yes ma'am."

She smiled. "You know, Rick is going to have a fit when he see's the two of you."

Daryl just shrugged. "Let him. Maybe he needs to keep that dumb ass dog on a leash. It was bound to happen sooner or later. He's been tryin' to get under my skin all damn mornin'."

Carol frowned. "I haven't seen him say anything at all to you."

"He ain't got to. Hell even Sophia can see it." Damn, he wasn't going to bring that up.

"Sophia? What did she tell you?" Carol asked as they neared Dale's camper.

Daryl groaned. "Just that Shane has a thing for you and I need to step up if I don't want the two of you getting together."

"Sophia said that to you?" Carol asked, astonished.

"Well, don't say anything to her about it. She'll think I ratted her out."

"What else did she say?" Carol pressed.

"Nothin' really." He shrugged. "She might have mentioned comin' across Lori and Shane in the woods."

Carol stopped with her hand on the door to the camper. "What? What did she see?"

He shook his head. "She didn't say. But from the look on her face when she told me about it makes me think that maybe she seen enough that she's probably gonna have plenty of questions for you."

"Oh my God." Carol gasped. "She saw them... you know? She saw that? When?"

Daryl shrugged. "She didn't say when. I didn't really ask the kid for details, woman."

"Do you think that's still going on? Even though Rick is back?" She asked.

He reached across her and opened the door. He gave her a little shove and she hurried in. "I don't know. It's none of my business." he said as he climbed in after her and shut the door.

"That's just awful. She's married. Her husband is a good man and he isn't dead." Carol hoped that if Sophia had seen them that it was before Rick got back. She hated the thought of Rick being hurt like that. Shane was his best friend. Is his best friend."

"You worry too much. Ain't none of that your problem." He said as he followed her to the back of the camper.

He sat down on the bed as she knelt down and pulled a large box that had been stashed under it. "That isn't exactly true. These people aren't just anybody. These people are our people now. We can't have personal things like that interfering with our survival. We all need each other."

"These ain't my people." He grumbled. "And I sure as hell don't need these people. I can probably survive a lot better on my own."

She looked up from the box she was rummaging through. His words seemed to cut right through her chest. Maybe he didn't need anybody. Maybe he would be better off on his own. But she wouldn't be. Could he be thinking about leaving them? He had said he would stick around for a while. But what if he was thinking about leaving? And if he did then what would she do?

He was staring at her with a strange look in his eye and then suddenly he was there on the floor, on his knees, on the other side of the box. "What's wrong?" he asked as he reached a hand to her face and grazed his fingers across her cheek. His fingers came away wet.

"Are you thinking about leaving?" She whispered. She hadn't even felt the tears but she could hear them in her voice. She knew it was stupid of her but she couldn't help it.

He frowned. "What?"

"You said that you could do better on your own. So, are you thinking about leaving? I know you were thinking about it before."

"I said I can survive without these people, Carol. That don't mean I'm gonna try to survive without you." By the look that came over his face he hadn't meant to say that out loud. He almost looked scared. Like he wanted to run from the R.V. Like he had looked that first night when he had found her by the water.

She couldn't think of anything to say to that. Her mind drew a blank as her heart felt like it was about to explode from her chest. It was sad that those clumsy words had been the nicest thing that anyone had ever said to her. Could he not survive without her? She already knew where she stood in this. But she never thought that he could feel the same way.

"Would you fuckin' say somethin', please?" He whispered, his eyes still wide.

She sat up on her knees and instead of saying anything she reached up and placed her hands on each side of his face and pulled him to her. This time he kissed her back eagerly and then he shoved the box that separated them out of his way. Grasping her hips tightly he yanked her towards him until every inch of him was pressed up against her. And even that wasn't close enough. She needed to get closer. She made a frustrated sound as his hands traveled down her thighs and then lifted her enough so she could wrap her legs around him. He eased her down onto her back then ground himself against her, causing her to bite down on his lip to keep from crying out. After a few long seconds he stopped moving over her and the way he kissed her changed, deeper but less intense than before and then finally he pulled his face away from hers.

"We ain't doin' this here." He said reluctantly.

"What? Why?" She was almost embarrassed at the desperate edge to her voice. Almost.

"Cause I ain't havin' any of those nosy fuckers comin' in here and catchin' us, for one." he pushed the top half of himself up but the bottom half was still pressed against her.

"And for two?" She whispered, disappointment clear in her tone.

"And for two, I ain't my brother. And you're worth more than that."

"Worth more than what?" She wanted to cry. Her whole body felt empty, like him pulling away had taken pieces of her with him.

He ducked his head down and kissed her again but he was still braced above her, not letting himself sink back into it. "You ain't some cheap fuck on a camper floor. That ain't you. And as much as I hate to say it, it ain't me either. You're better than that."

She looked around. Yep. She was definitely on the camper floor but she didn't care. She sighed loudly. "Fine, Mr. Morals."

He pushed himself back up onto his knees and she raised up on her elbows and glared at him. He laughed and took her hands, pulling her back up. "Wasn't you the one that was insistin' I get cleaned up?"

She looked at the wounds on his face. She had caused his lip to bleed a little more than it had already. He reached out with his thumb and ran it across her own lip. There was a tiny smear of blood there. "Sorry." She said with a grin. She guessed it should have grossed her out but it didn't. It was him.

She worked quickly now. Cleaning up his face but he drew the line at band-ainds. "Are you crazy? I ain't puttin' them things on my face." He grumbled.

"Fine." She sighed as she cleaned up their mess. When he had shoved Dale's box to the side he had caused everything in it to spill out.

They made their way back to the house in silence. Carol was still a little miffed but she had to admit that what he said was really sweet. She had heard for so many years that she was worthless that it was alien to her to hear someone say otherwise. She could really get used to hearing things like that because she was starting to realize that they were true. Ed's Carol had been worthless but she wasn't Ed's Carol anymore. She was her own Carol.


	17. Chapter 17

**I don't update as much on the weekends because usually people are busy doing other things so I try to update a lot through the week. But I told a friend I would update again if she would hurry up and post her next chapter. So here you go. Again, thank you for the reviews! You guys are the best =) Enjoy!**

Chapter Seventeen

Daryl heard the commotion coming from the kitchen as soon as they stepped into the house. He heard Shane's loud mouth of course followed by Rick's more calm voice. Carol shot him an exasperated look and then they stepped into the kitchen. Shane flew out of the chair he was sitting in, Lori was hovering over him, trying to clean his face up.

"You broke my nose you little son of a bitch!" He yelled. He took a few steps closer and then Carol surprised everyone when she stepped in front of him.

"You start this all over again, Shane, in front of my daughter and you wont have to worry about Daryl anymore, you hear me?" She snarled. Her voice was cold enough to freeze the room.

Daryl actually grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her back. She shot him a look but then turned her head towards Shane again. The room was silent, even a startled Shane. And the silence wasn't broken until a small voice spoke up from the table.

"Holy crap, mom!" Sophia was grinning. Her gaze flew to Daryl who gave the girl a wink. "Bout damn time." She said as she looked back down at the paper in front her.

"She's right." Daryl said calmly. "If you ain't done that's fine by me. But you wanna keep goin' then we need to go outside to do it. It's your call." He shrugged.

Shane just glared at him as Lori tugged him by the shirt sleeve back to the chair he had been sitting in while she cleaned him up.

"No one is doin' anymore fighting." Rick said in a voice just as calm as Daryl's had been.

Shane was seething in his chair and Daryl didn't even get what his problem was really. Daryl hadn't kicked his ass. It was a pretty good fight as far as fights went. Neither of them got it any worse than the other.

"So, no one had a chance to actually find anything out there?" Rick asked.

Andrea and Carol both shook their heads. "The only thing Carol and I found were two jackasses rolling around on the sidewalk." Andrea complained.

Rick blew out a breath. "Can I trust that you two will keep a level head if I leave? Me, Glen, Dale and T-dog can go out. I just need to know if I need to take one of you with us?"

Daryl smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm over it already. It's your boy here who's got the problem." He nodded towards Shane.

"I'm bout to show you a problem." Shane growled.

"Oh for God's sake." Carol fumed. "Daryl, that's enough."

He held up his hands. "Alright. I'm done." And he was. He knew Shane was just pissed cause his pride was wounded. He'd get over it.

"That's right Dixon. Maybe you should listen to your woman." Shane snapped.

Daryl leaned against the counter and smirked again, letting the other man have the last word. Besides, he really didn't mind what Shane had to say just now. He wasn't sure how it got to this point but Shane was right. She was his woman, and the cop would do well for himself to remember that.

"So? Can we do this now? I'd like to head out as early as we can. We've wasted enough time with all this." Rick said as he holstered his gun and kissed Lori before leaving the kitchen. He didn't wait for an answer. It was pretty obvious that the tension was past them. For now.

Daryl sat down at the table next to Sophia. Carol was off in the corner talking to Amy and Andrea. Sophia glanced up at him and grinned. "Guess he finally got the hint, huh? Good job Daryl."

"Hey, that wasn't about your mom. That was about that guy bein' an idiot." He argued even though he knew that wasn't really the truth at all. He had been waiting for an excuse to hit the guy. He just happened to get one sooner than he thought he would.

Sophia wasn't stupid. She shook her head and continued on with her writing. "That had everything to do with my mom. I think I'm starting to figure you out."

"Is that right?" He grinned and leaned back in his chair.

She nodded. "You got it bad, don't you?"

He almost laughed. "What?"

She glanced up quickly and then shook her head. "Nothin'."

The rest of the morning was pretty uneventful. He mostly just hung out with Sophia and avoided Shane. He was even in the mood to be nice to Carl, who really wasn't a bad kid at all. He'd just never really talked to him before. He found it a little easier to spend time with these two than he did with most of the adults. Probably because he was pretty much just a big kid himself. Not that he felt like he was a big kid but because he had heard it from other people before. Merle was always bitching about it. Screw Merle. Merle was an asshole. He loved him. He was blood. He even missed him sometimes. But he was still just an asshole.

When Rick finally came back they hadn't found much. There were a few guns in the tiny police station and they found a few more and a decent supply of ammo in a bar down the street. They still hadn't ran into any Walkers. That was a good thing. Maybe they all dropped dead, but he doubted it. When they all were ready to leave they hit up a few of the houses for food and they cleaned them out of blankets and any clothes they could find. The weather would be getting colder soon and they would need all they could get. Daryl didn't have a tent anymore so he'd probably be sleeping in the dirt if they ended up hitting a dead end at the CDC.

Sophia, for once, opted to ride in the truck with them. He was surprised since she usually wanted to be wherever Carl was. She slid in the middle and that was okay too. Driving would be a lot easier without Carol right there to distract him.

The only thing he was really worried about was fuel. It wouldn't be so bad if he could just take Merle's bike but the three of them couldn't ride on it so he would keep the truck for as long as he could. He had a feeling that they would have to abandon a vehicle or two eventually. T-dog, Rick and Shane all had their own vehicles also and it didn't make much sense to have so many when eventually fuel was going to be a problem.

"Why didn't you want to ride with Carl, honey?" Carol asked after they rode in silence for a while.

"He's being a jerk." She mumbled.

Daryl hadn't noticed them arguing or anything that morning but he hadn't been with them the entire time.

"How's he being a jerk?" Carol laughed.

Sophia glanced up towards Daryl but he kept his eyes on the road.

"He said that Daryl needed to learn some respect because Shane was a cop. And then he said that if he were Shane he would kick him out of the group."

"Oh. I see. And what did you have to say about that?" Carol asked.

Daryl glanced at her over Sophia's head.

"I told him that Shane was an asshole and if he didn't want to end up with a matching broken nose then he'd best learn to keep his opinions to himself." She said quietly.

"Sophia!" Carol sounded as shocked as Daryl felt. But his reaction was much different. He laughed, causing both of them to jump.

"Daryl, that is not funny." Carol complained but he could tell by her voice that she wanted to laugh along with him.

"Yeah it is." He chuckled again and glanced down at Sophia's head and shook his own. He was really starting to like this kid.

"Sophia, you can't threaten your friends. That isn't right." Carol said quietly.

Sophia sighed. "Mom. I'm not letting someone talk about him like that," She inclined her head towards Daryl, "And I heard what you said to Shane. It's high time the two of us stopped putting up with other peoples crap. We're better than that."

Carol's eyes were wide when he glanced over at her again. This kid was really something else. She was smart and she was strong. She was much stronger than anyone gave her credit for. He was glad to see that her daddy had never had a chance to break her.

Carol sat back in her seat and stared out the window for a while and then she looked at her daughter once more. "You're right. And I'm glad you learned this faster than I did." She put her arm around Sophia's shoulders. "But don't say asshole. It's rude."

"But Daryl says..."

"Daryl says a lot of things Sophia." Carol laughed. "That doesn't make it okay for us to say them."

Daryl flashed the girl a grin. "Your momma said fuck the other day." He said lightly.

Sophia covered her mouth and laughed.

"Damn it, Daryl!" Carol groaned.

"You did." he grumbled but he let it go.

~H~

When they pulled up a few blocks down from the CDC building Sophia actually clung to Daryl's arm with both of hers. It looked like a massacre. There were bodies everywhere. They had barely made it there with what gas they had left.

Daryl turned the truck off and just stared out the window. He patted Sophia knee absently. "Just stay right with me, alright." He muttered to her.

She nodded without looking away from the carnage before them.

Carol didn't think he was going to have to worry about that. Sophia looked terrified despite how brave she had sounded earlier. She wanted to shield her from this but there was no way to do that. Not in this new world. She glanced out the side window and saw Dale was behind him, Andrea was in the passenger seat and they were doing the same thing. Looking before them. Andrea looked horrified. No one got out of their vehicles.

Daryl took a deep breath. "This shit is crazy. We shoulda never came here."

He finally dragged his eyes away from the bodies and looked at Carol. He gave her a nod and then opened the door. Sophia stayed glued to his side, sliding out with him like she was attached to him somehow. He made her feel safe and Carol was grateful for that. The girl needed that. Carol herself needed that. She would have been lying if she said she wasn't scared to death right now but knowing he was close made it bearable.

She came around the truck and walked with Daryl and Sophia towards the R.V. Everyone else started filing out of their vehicles then. No one said anything for a moment. They all just stood there and looked on. Daryl had one arm slung over Sophia's shoulder and the girl was clinging to his hand with both of hers, leaning into him.

"You okay?" She whispered to the girl as she knelt down in front of her.

Sophia glanced up at Daryl and then back to her mother and nodded. Carol stood up and looked at him. He was worried. She could see it in his face. His eyes were narrowed and when his eyes met hers she could see the panic there. He put one hand on the back of her head and pulled her too him, keeping his other arm on the girl. She pressed her forehead into his shoulder.

"I'm givin' Rick ten minutes. Ten minutes and that's it. If they don't let us in we leave. I don't care what the rest of them do." He whispered.

She nodded and pulled away from him. She turned to face the others and of course they were staring at the three of them. I guess if she were in their shoes she would have been staring herself. Talk about the odd couple.

Rick and Shane were the first to approach them. Rick kept glancing at the bodies that littered the lot. "What do you think?" He asked.

Daryl shook his head. "I don't like it. These bodies ain't Walkers. These are military, man."

Rick nodded. Even Shane didn't have anything to say about that. "We're all low on fuel. We have to at least try it."

"I get that but I ain't waitin' around on these bastards to open up. We're leavin'. Soon. Ya'll can wait around but we ain't."

"What are you gonna do? Take her and the kid and head out on your own?" Shane asked, looking at Daryl like he was crazy.

"That's exactly what I'm sayin'." Daryl said with a clear challenge in his voice. "Unless they wanna stay."

Shane laughed bitterly and glanced down at Sophia. "Then what? They stay and you ride off without'em?"

Daryl scowled. "And leave'em here with the likes of you sniffin' around?" He shook his head. "Not a chance, asshole. I know all about your kind you sneaky fuck."

Shane took a few steps towards him and Daryl had Sophia and Carol both behind him before they could react at all. "I'm about sick of your shit, Dixon." He spat.

"That's enough." Rick hissed as he stepped between them. "Shane, could you just shut up for once?"

"Are you serious right now?" Shane looked shocked that Rick wouldn't have his back.

Rick just shook his head and walked away. Everyone else followed him, picking their way around the bodies and watching out for Walkers.


	18. Chapter 18

**This is going to be a lot different than their original trip to the CDC. I had to change it up a lot to stick to this story so I hope none of you mind much. I was going to wait till morning to post this chapter but I figure Axelrocks, who is totally my fanfiction buddy, would really need this after that soul crushing episode. Here's to you friend! I hope you all enjoy! Read and review =) And sorry to anyone that wanted me to stick more to the original CDC visit. It's still readable I hope ;)**

Chapter Eighteen

"I know you're in there!" Rick screamed. They had been trying to get in for a while now. He had sworn the camera had moved and now he was completely freaking out.

Daryl grabbed Carol by the shoulders and leaned in close to her face. He could see Walkers coming from down the street and knew a decision had to be made now. The doors weren't opening. Too much time had passed.

"Your call, woman. What do you want me to do?" He asked, his voice desperate even to his own ears.

Sophia was still pressed against his side and he heard her make a frightened sound.

Carol looked down at Sophia and back up to meet his eyes. She nodded and took his hand. "Let's go." She whispered.

He turned and led them back towards the truck. He had no idea where he was going to take them. He had never had more than himself to take care of all his life. But he would do it. He'd keep them alive and they would be fine. Somehow.

He swung his bow around and shot the closest Walker in the head. He didn't have time to pull the arrow out. He just wanted them to keep moving. They were halfway across the darkening lot when suddenly they heard a swishing sound and they turned. The doors were starting to open.

Daryl spun around and sure enough there was a brilliant shaft of light widening as the doors slid open. He slipped his head back through the bow strap, grabbed them each by the hand and sprinted towards the doors. The others were just stepping through when they reached them. They all stepped into the building.

"What do you people want?" A voice called from the shadows.

Daryl's hand tightened on hers and Sophia had a death grip on his waist. And he was scared. Not of these men and not of the unknown. He was scared that he wouldn't be able to protect them from all of this. He had never even considered protecting another person before all this. He was scared of failing.

"All we want are answers." Rick called.

After a long pause a tall man with blonde hair stepped out of the shadows, carrying an assault rifle.

Daryl swallowed and glanced down at Sophia. She glanced up at him at the same time. "We're fine." He muttered and she seemed to relax. He hoped he hadn't just lied to the girl.

"Have any of you been bitten?" Another man asked as he came around the corner. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and peered at them nervously. He wore a lab coat just like the bigger man with the gun.

"No. None of us." Rick answered.

The blonde man took a few steps closer. Daryl glanced around at the group. Glen had his arm around Amy's shoulders and Andrea had her hand. Dale stood behind the trio. Shane stood back from the group, looking unhappy about being there. Rick held Lori's hand and had one arm over Carl's shoulders. Daryl scowled when he realized that him, Carol and Sophia were standing in the exact same position as the cop and his family. For a second he tensed, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed but he took a deep breath and willed himself to relax.

"As long as none of you have been bitten you can stay, but by this time tomorrow you'll all need to leave." The Blond man said after a long pause. "I'm Doctor Jenner and this is my assistant, Milton." He gestured to the man with the glasses and the nervous eyes.

"Sir, there isn't anywhere to go." Lori said softly. She gestured towards the group. "There isn't anything out there but those things. We haven't seen other people for weeks. We have no fuel and no where to go." Her voice cracked.

Jenner and Milton shared a look and then Milton nodded.

"Have you eaten?" Jenner asked.

"Not since this morning." Rick said. "But we have food that we can share." He said hastily.

"No need. We are going to have to ask that you all agree to a blood test." Jenner said.

"But we already said that none of us have been bitten." Andrea said with a frown.

Jenner and Milton shared another one of those looks and then looked back towards the group. "It's just for our own piece of mind. That's the deal."

Everyone looked at one another and then eventually they all nodded.

"You ain't scared of needles are ya?" Daryl asked Sophia.

She shook her head. "No."

He nodded and they all followed Jenner and Milton down a long corridor and then into an elevator.

"So, what's with the gun?" Rick asked as they all piled in.

Jenner looked down at the gun and then back at Rick. "I guess just a little more peace of mind."

Carol looked ill by the time they reached whatever floor Jenner took them too. She finally spoke up. "Are we underground?" She asked nervously.

"Yes we are." Milton said quietly.

"Son of a bitch." She breathed.

Daryl looked at her and almost grinned until he saw that her face was pretty pale. "What?" He whispered.

"I'm claustrophobic." She whispered back.

He squeezed her hand and she offered him a tight smile. "I'll get over it." She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "I hope."

They were taken to a room where Milton drew their blood. Needles were never something that had ever bothered Daryl before. Merle went through a faze where he liked to shoot up and so Daryl was used to needles being around. Thankfully Merle had kicked that habit after spending a year in prison. He didn't pick it up again once he got out.

"We'll get you all fed after we show you where you can sleep. You can all take hot showers as long as you keep them quick and there's a game room the kids can use." Jenner said after they were done with the blood samples.

They were taken through a maze of corridors until finally there was one with doors on each side of the hallway, reminiscent of a hotel. Milton pointed out where everything was and they promised to come back for them in a few hours.

The group stood in the hallway, looking at one another. And then one by one their faces broke out into huge grins. "Hot. Water.?" T-Dog mouthed and then darted down the hall and disappeared into one of the rooms, whooping loudly right before he slammed his door.

Everyone laughed and then found their own rooms. Except for Daryl, Sophia and Carol. They stood there, both adults looking anywhere but at each other. Daryl finally caught her eye and smiled. "I'll be right next door if you need me." He said almost sadly.

She gave him a sympathetic look and then glanced down at Sophia. "Okay."

Sophia put her hands on her hips and looked up at them in annoyance. "Haven't the two of you been sleeping together? Why are you trying to stay in separate rooms?"

Daryl felt his face turn so red that his ears actually burned. Carol looked just as mortified as he felt. And then she regained her composure.

"Where did you hear that?" Carol asked in a hushed voice.

"Carl heard Shane and his mom talking about it. Shane was saying when he went to find you that your tent hadn't been slept in and that meant that you were sleeping with Daryl. Then Lori said that she doubted the two of you got much sleep. And then I figured that the reason I slept in Carl's tent again was because you were sleeping with him. Or not sleeping, whatever. And then he slept with you in the..."

"Okay. I get it." Carol said quickly as she ushered the girl towards the door. She threw Daryl an exasperated look. "I'll see you later." She said and quickly pushed Sophia inside.

Daryl hurried to the room next to the one Carol and Sophia were in. He had his bag on him but he wasn't sure if he had anything clean to wear. He finally scrounged up something that wasn't too dirty and headed to the shower. He couldn't remember the last time he had had a real shower. Before everything that happened he had spent most of his life outdoors anyway. First to get away from his dad and then to avoid his brother. He liked to be by himself. He never felt comfortable around people. People in general sucked. At least most of the people he had ever known sucked. And he never felt like he fit in anywhere. Merle and his friends had been nothing but a bunch of idiots. Always looking for trouble. Daryl wasn't a big fan of trouble himself. And the people that weren't like Merle and his crowd were usually uppity judgmental assholes that thought they were better than everyone else.

He was starting to change his mind now though. Everyone in this group seemed to be okay with him. Well, with the exception of Shane, anyway. Merle had hated them all but Merle would. That was just Merle.

Carol couldn't be put in the same category as anyone he had ever met in his life. She was the first person that he found himself wanting to be around. The only person he'd ever found himself wanting period. He thought of all the times since they had been at camp that he had walked right by her without a word. It was a lot of time that had been wasted. He would have had Merle to deal with but it would have been worth it then just to be able to talk to her. But that was all water under the bridge now. No sense in brooding about it.

He didn't linger under the hot water even though he wanted too. It felt good but he was anxious about having Carol and Sophia in the other room. A lot could happen to a woman and a kid that were left alone. And he didn't know anything about these two guys. And one had one hell of a wicked gun.

He started getting dressed in a hurry.

~H~

Carol took a shower first so Sophia could take her time. When she opened her bag she grinned. There was that lotion that Andrea had made Glen pick up. She thought that Daryl may have actually mentioned it before she went to sleep in his tent but she was so tired she couldn't be sure. But just in case she put it on again and used the spray that matched. She loved Andrea right now.

She pulled out a shirt she had found in one of the houses. Something Ed never would have let her wear. It was red, which he didn't like her in red, and just a little more low cut than she was used too and the material was light and silky. Paired with a pair of faded jeans that would have caused Ed to roll over in his grave and she felt like a total rebel. She was smiling when she was about to drop the towel and try the clothes on but then she heard a tap at the door.

She wasn't sure who it could have been since she knew everyone was probably still showering or just enjoying their rooms. Right before she reached the door it opened and in stepped Daryl Dixon. While she was standing there in nothing but a towel.

"Oh!" He muttered and she watched his eyes rake over her body. He had already stepped into the room and the door sighed shut on it's own. "Shit." He closed his mouth but didn't look away from her.

"I thought you would still be in the shower. You didn't have to share." Was she really trying to make conversation while she was standing there in a very small towel?

He still didn't say anything. His eyes flicked towards the bed and then back to her. It looked as though he hadn't even bothered to dry off. His hair was still dripping.

"Do you need a towel?" She offered before she thought about what she was asking. She didn't mean her towel but his eyes widened. "I mean, you look wet and there's more..."

"Where's Sophia?" He asked suddenly.

She glanced towards the bathroom door with a sigh.

"I'm gonna go ahead and..."

She didn't let him finish. She wasn't going to let him go away that easy. She pulled his face towards hers and that was all the invitation he needed. She could still hear the shower, she could stop kissing him when the water turned off. But when she felt her feet lift off the floor she wasn't sure kissing was all that he was thinking about at the moment. He pressed her up against the door and she locked her legs around his waist. This was much more than kissing. Just like in the camper she felt her blood start to boil and she couldn't get close enough to him. Why did he keep doing this to her?

He pulled his mouth away from hers and then she felt his lips on her throat. She heard him inhale slowly. "Why the fuck do you gotta smell so good?"

Oh Andrea, I owe you big time, she thought. His lips found hers again and she kissed him like she was a starving person and his lips were the only sustenance that would keep her alive and he returned them hungrily. She didn't think she had ever wanted anything in her life as bad as she wanted him right now but then she heard the shower turn off and she pulled away.

"You have to put me down." Her voice was barely a whisper but he did as she said.

"I gotta stop doin' this to myself." he said as he pressed his forehead against hers. "You're killin' me."

She smiled and tried to catch her breath. "You had your chance."

He nodded he laughed. "Yeah, I did. And don't think I ain't kickin' my own ass right now."

"You have to go. I ain't even dressed yet."

"I noticed that." he said and then kissed her lightly.

"Later?" She whispered.

"Yeah. Fuck this morals bullshit. I don't care if the next place we end up is in a dumpster." He whispered and she laughed along with him.

"Go." She said, shoving him away.

He nodded and slipped silently out the door.

She dressed in a hurry and then sat down on the bed, hoping she didn't look at feverish as she felt.


	19. Chapter 19

**This was one of those chapters that I wrote and then I re-read and then I read it again and still wasn't sure if anyone would like it. See, I guess you can say that I have a strange sense of humor, and the thing that happens to Daryl in this chapter happened to a friend of mine and when he told me about it I cracked up and for some reason, as I started this chapter, that story popped into my head. So I got to thinking, what would Daryl Dixon do? And then I thought... well, let's find out. And so I wrote it. And it was pretty funny... although a little mean... You get to read a little evil Carol. I really hope you like it. And if you don't then I'm so sorry but I couldn't resist XD**

Chapter Nineteen

The food was actually good. The two men had really outdone themselves. There was a huge table in the kitchen and everyone sat around it eating their dinner, talking, laughing and enjoying being clean. There was a lot of wine flowing. Daryl didn't do much talking but it was funny just watching everyone else. When he wasn't watching Carol.

She looked amazing. He always liked the way she looked but tonight was different. It wasn't just the clothes she'd snagged out of one of the houses either, although he really liked the way she wore the hell out of those jeans. She smiled a lot tonight. She never once avoided anyones eyes which he had noticed, before he had ever even talked to her, that she did a lot. She drank one glass of wine and then wouldn't take anymore. Which he was pretty glad because if she kissed him again he wasn't sure he would be able to stop anything from happening and if she was shitfaced he wouldn't have a choice but to stop. He was tired of all the stopping.

Milton showed the kids to the game room and came back with more wine. The more the wine flowed the louder everyone got and Milton and Jenner just seemed to be enjoying everyone else being there. Even Milton was smiling a lot as he chatted with Andrea and Amy. T-dog was sitting to Daryl's left and he had a bottle of wine all to himself. He looked over at Daryl and offered him the bottle. Daryl took one last lingering look at Carol and grabbed it from the man. He turned it up.

Jesus, if Merle would have seen that he would have had a stroke. A Dixon, not only sitting next to a black man, but also drinking pussy ass wine out of the same bottle.

He nearly jumped out of his chair when he felt Carol's hand run up his inner thigh under the table. She wasn't looking at him. She had her head turned and was talking to Dale. He expected that hand to stop at some point but it kept going and when it did finally stop it really didn't stop.

"Hey, man? You alright?" T-dog asked worriedly.

Daryl whipped his head around and blew out a heavy breath. All he could do was nod at the man though. If he opened his mouth to say something God only knew what kind of sound would have came out. She wasn't stopping with her secret explorations. Well, she kind of stopped her exploring after she found something that sparked her interest but she didn't stop moving the hand. He'd already had to go back to his room and get back in the shower after leaving her room earlier. Under water that was as cold as he could get it. And it had taken nearly five whole minutes for that to work. Now he was in trouble. Real trouble.

He put his elbows on the table and put his face in his hands for a second and then she did something that caused him to jerk his hands away from his face and gape at her. She wasn't looking. She was as calm as could be with her head still turned, having a normal conversation with someone while she was slipping her hand right down his pants.

T-dog said something to him but he didn't catch what the man said.

"What?" He croaked as he turned to look at him.

"I asked if you wanted some more." He held out the bottle and Daryl turned it up again. This time he chugged the rest of it. Which was about a quarter of the bottle. He handed the empty bottle back and T-dog just looked at it dejectedly. "Well damn, Dixon." He sat the empty bottle on the table.

She was running her hand up and down the length of him. Never in a million years not a billion years would he ever have thought she was capable of doing something like this. She was shy. She was sweet. She was quiet. She startled easily. She was fucking evil. He stifled a groan. He wasn't even sure anymore if it was the wine or if it was her that was making his head swim.

He glanced around but no one was paying any attention to him at all, thank God.

Images started running through his head. The way her skin had felt that second night when she came down to the water. The way she had pressed up against him in the tent that very first night they had shared it. The way her body felt the morning he woke up and she was on top of him. And then last night in that bed. The way her lips tasted and the way her body had felt under his hands and then the camper. And then her tonight, standing there right in front of him, wearing nothing but a towel. How easy it would have been if they had had more time.

He felt his muscles begin to tense and he glanced around once more, still no one was looking at him, even T-dog had his head turned now as he talked to Glen. He dropped his arms onto the table and rested his head on them as he bit the hell out of his lip and concentrated on keeping his breathing as normal as possible and then he was there. Right there at the table, in a room full of half drunk people, Daryl Dixon was in the middle of a surprisingly intense orgasm. And for some reason it was lasting much longer than any he had ever had before, probably thanks to all the torture he had put himself through the last few days. Well, that she had put him through anyway. He stayed as still as he could. He felt his shoulders jerk a few times but he couldn't help that at all. He squeezed his eyes shut and kept his head down while he waited it out.

When it was finally over he felt her hand slip away and he let his breath out slowly before raising his head from his arms. She finally glanced at him, her eyes shining with excitement. He ran a hand through his hair and sat back in his chair a little.

"Are you alright?" Milton asked from across the table. He looked concerned so Daryl could only imagine what his face looked like.

"I'm fine." He growled.

Milton just nodded and turned back to Andrea.

Carol turned in her seat to face him but he only glared at her. She looked smug. She looked like the cat that caught the canary. She looked beautiful. Without thinking he leaned in and kissed her lightly and then kissed her again. He could feel the eyes on him now as the conversation in the room died away.

Maybe it was because of all the wine he had drank or maybe he was just sick and tired of worrying about what other people thought, or maybe he was just a little bit more bold after a hidden hand job. He didn't know why he kissed her in front of everyone, but it felt good. And she didn't seem to mind it either because she kissed him back. And then grinned. The shock wore off quickly because a few seconds later everyone started chatting again.

"You know your gonna pay for that, right?" He whispered.

"I hope so." She grinned.

~H~

Carol's heart was pounding so hard that she was sure everyone at the table could see it beating in her chest. She couldn't believe what she had just done. If she knew someone else had done something like that, in a room full of people, she would have been appalled. But she wasn't feeling that way right now. She felt empowered. Why something like that could make her feel empowered was beyond her, but it was true.

Everyone seemed to be engrossed in their own conversations again but that didn't even matter. The room could have been empty or every person in the room could have been staring at her for all she cared. T-dog had himself another bottle of wine and she reached across Daryl and snatched it from him before he could take another drink. He looked startled and then his face broke out in a wide grin.

"Carol," T-dog said as she took a few long drinks from the bottle, "I'm glad you finally came out of that shell of yours."

She heard Daryl chuckle as she handed the bottle back to T-dog. She grinned herself. "Me too."

Daryl grabbed her glass and then the bottle and filled it up. "Lush." He said as he handed her the glass.

"And here I thought you were keepin' an eye on how much I drank tonight." She said with a wink.

He shook his head and smirked. "I don't really suppose it matters at this point, do you?"

She shook her head. "Sure don't."

"I'll be back." He said as he scooted the chair back.

She frowned. "Where are you going?"

He gave her a severe look and then rolled his eyes. "To try to find some more pants." He whispered.

She tried to hide it but she couldn't. She laughed, causing T-dog to turn towards them once more.

Daryl sighed. "I'm glad you're enjoyin' yourself, Carol."

"Oh, you enjoyed yourself too, I believe." She downed half her glass and smiled.

"What's so funny?" T-dog slurred.

"Hand me that bottle and I'll tell you all about it." Carol grinned. Maybe she should lay off the wine. She was feeling way too bold.

"God, Carol!" Daryl hissed.

She held up her hands. "Kidding."

He groaned as T-dog looked back and forth between them with a grin.

He was about to get up to hurry out of the room but she grabbed his hand. "I picked you up some clothes. There in my bag on the bed.

He nodded, kissed her quickly and almost sprinted out of the room.

She watched him go as that small kiss simmered on her lips. She didn't realize she was smiling until T-dog raised his bottle.

"Cheers." He grinned.

She held up her glass. "To what?"

"To the redneck that saved our asses and put that smile on that pretty face of yours."

She laughed and clinked her glass against his bottle. "You're drunk." She said to him as he put the bottle to his lips once more.

He nodded and swallowed. "Yes ma'am I am. But I ain't blind. You're love struck. And I wouldn't have said it a week ago but you picked yourself a good one."

She looked towards the door he had disappeared through. "That I did."

Carol was starting to really feel the wine and she sat her glass down, although T-dog refilled it for her. Andrea caught her eye from across the table and smiled at her. "Carol, you look beautiful tonight. I don't think I've ever seen you smile so much."

Carol felt her face flush and then she held up the glass. "I think it's the wine." She grinned.

Andrea returned the smile and then her eyes flashed over to the door. "I believe it's the Dixon."

"Me too!" T-dog nearly shouted as he raised his bottle at Andrea, who laughed loudly.

It didn't take Daryl long to get back. He sat down next to her. "Jesus, look at you bunch of drunks." He said with a grin and then he looked over at her. "How'd you know what size to look for?" he asked as he scooted the chair up.

She shrugged. "I've done your laundry, remember?"

T-dog handed over the bottle and leaned back in his chair.

Shane cleared his throat loudly. He was sitting next to Lori at the end of the table across from them. "So, Jenner, this is great and all, but I gotta ask the obvious here. Where the hell is the rest of you?"

Rick rolled his eyes and shook his head. He was on Lori's other side. "Come on Shane. Can't we just enjoy ourselves here? We can talk about the rest in the mornin'."

Carol watched Jenner glance towards Milton, who was no longer smiling but looking down at the table.

"There isn't anyone else. Just the two of us." Jenner said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Just you? What happened to all the Doctors? All the scientists? We thought you would be able to tell us what was happening." It was Glen who spoke.

Jenner just shook his head. "We don't know what it is. When it happened it was all chaos. Most of our people fled. Some didn't get far though. Others..." His voice trailed off and he glanced once more towards Milton. "Others opted out."

Everyone grew silent then and Carol felt Daryl's hand slide into hers on the table. "So, there's no hope then?" She asked quietly. "This is it?"

"We lost all communication with other facilities the second day. You people are the first living people we've seen in a while. We thought maybe everyone was gone. Maybe we were the last few left."

"And you don't know what it is?" Andrea asked. "You have no clue if this is something that could possibly just pass?"

Milton shook his head. "Whatever it is, it isn't going anywhere. We think it may be air born."

"Jesus Christ." T-dog mumbled as he put his face in his hands and leaned his elbows on the table.

"But if it's air born wouldn't that mean..." Carol's voice trailed off.

"We all carry it." Milton confirmed as he looked up and met her eyes briefly.

"Ed." Carol looked over at Daryl. "That's why he turned."

Jenner nodded. "This is something that will happen to all of us. Whatever it is reanimates the brain stem after we die. Damaging the brain is the only thing that will kill us after we turn."

"We are sorry." Milton said quietly. "I wish we could give you all answers. We've been trying." he shook his head. "But time has ran out."

"The fuck you mean, times ran out?" Daryl asked angrily.

Jenner glanced at him. "Tomorrow evening the fuel for our generators will run out. When that happens this place is designed to self destruct."

"What?" Lori breathed. "What does that mean?"

"This facility. It will explode. There will be enough force to kill everything. This place hold things that you wouldn't imagine. If some of the things here ever got out then what you people have been dealing with outside will pale in comparison. Diseases that you wouldn't even be able to imagine. Once the generators fail this place is designed to self destruct in a way that makes it impossible for any of those things to get out." Jenner explained calmly.

"The air itself will burn." Milton said sadly with a shake of his head.

Carol picked up her glass and drained it. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be it for them. Her daughter couldn't grow up in a world with no hope and that's exactly what they were telling them. And they were all going to end up like that? Like Ed? She took a deep breath and looked back up at Daryl and started feeling herself grow more calm. As long as he was there she was fine.

Rick looked exactly like Carol felt. He looked over at Jenner. "So what were you two going to do?"

Milton looked up. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"Where were the two of you going to go? Before this place lights up like a torch?" Rick asked.

Jenner took a deep breath and shook his head. "We aren't going anywhere. We can't go out there."

"What?" Daryl's voice caused her to jump. "What the fuck you gonna do? Sit in here and burn?"

Jenner just looked at him. It was Milton that spoke. "It isn't like that. We wont feel it. Do you think the alternative is any better? You think it would be best to go out there and starve for a while? Stay on the run? And in the end get eaten by one of those things anyway? You're going to have to watch your children die a slow death. This is just better. Maybe you should really put some thought into your options."

"Listen you crazy fucker!" Daryl roared as he flew out of his chair, which crashed loudly onto the floor. He put his hands on the table and leaned towards Milton, his face looking more dangerous than Carol had ever seen it.

"Daryl!" Rick yelled as Milton coward in his own chair, clearly terrified.

Daryl pushed himself away from the table, grabbed Carols hand and nearly yanked her to her feet. "Fuck this." He turned to Milton and Jenner, glaring, "And fuck you." He pulled her towards the doorway and she followed, not that she had much choice with the grip he had on her hand.

He stormed through the door and nearly dragged her down the hallway. When he finally stopped he dropped her hand and spun around. That dangerous look was still there and she took an involuntary step back from him.

"Don't. Don't for a fuckin' second think that those bastards know what the hell they are talkin' about." He seethed.

She stared at his angry features and she was not sure if it was the wine giving her false courage or the fact that she trusted him completely but she reached up and put her hand against his tense jaw. "I wont think for a second that those bastards know what the hell they are talking about."

His features relaxed under her warm hand and then the corner of his mouth twitched. The guy that had almost launched himself across the table after the cowering Milton was the groups Daryl. The man that was standing calmly before her now was hers. There was a big difference between the two.

"You ain't scared about what they said?" He asked.

"Daryl, I've been scared to death for most of my life. It's about time I decided to stop being scared. Everybody can be scared now if that's what they have to do. I'm going to keep myself alive. I'm going to keep Sophia alive. And you're the one that's going to show me how."


	20. Chapter 20

**I stocked up on chapters so I figured what the hell? So here you go. Hope you enjoy. Read and review. It makes my day ;)**

Chapter Twenty

Daryl sat cross legged in the middle of the bed and watched as Carol sat in the same position in front of him, holding the gun in her hands.

"That's it?" She asked as she shoved the clip in, released the safety and cocked the weapon back.

"That's it." He shrugged.

"Well hell." She frowned.

Daryl smirked. "Told ya it wasn't hard to learn."

They had checked in on Carl and Sophia before heading to his room. He didn't mind using a gun but he just liked using a crossbow better. He'd used one damn near all his life. They were quieter and he was good with it. But him and Merle always had guns handy. They had needed them with the people Merle was always running around with and all the trouble they got into. So now that Merle was gone he had a few extra.

Someone knocked on the door and they both turned to stare at it. Neither knew who would be looking for either of them. Sophia already knew where they were and they had already told her she didn't have to knock when she came looking for them. Which is why they weren't sitting very close. And Daryl did want her to know how to use the gun so he kept his distance to keep himself from getting distracted.

"Yeah?" Daryl finally called.

"Hey, man. You two decent in there?" Glen called from the other side of the door.

They glanced at each other and then Daryl shook his head. "Yeah. Decent enough." He yelled.

Glen and Dale came in and stood there awkwardly.

"Well?" Daryl asked, lifting one eyebrow at them. "The hell ya'll want?"

They both sat down on the couch that sat flush with the wall by the door. "We need Carol." Glen said after it became apparent that Dale wasn't going to be the one to say anything.

Daryl snorted. "Don't we all?" He leaned back against the pillows with his arms crossed behind his head.

Dale leaned up and laced his fingers together in front of him. "We think we should try to get Jenner and Milton to come with us."

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Those guys are nuts. Ain't nothin' we can do to get them to come and not just that but we don't need'em. Just more mouths to feed and I don't know if you noticed but they are fuckin' crazy. We got enough bullshit to deal with as it is." And then he seemed to remember what Glen had said. "The fuck could Carol do to talk any sense into'em when the rest of you ain't been able too?"

Glen shrugged. "Carol just has a way about her. People trust her. We think she would be able to talk them into coming with us."

Daryl narrowed his eyes. He didn't want her talking to either one of them. Not after what they had said earlier. He still wanted to take their heads off but he figured if he did that then she'd never let him hear the end of it.

"I'll talk to them." She said suddenly and those narrowed eyes zeroed in on her.

"No you ain't." He growled.

She shot him a look that would have probably made that Milton guy piss himself. But Daryl wasn't scared as easily.

"You heard what they said. They don't see any point in tryin' to survive out there. If they wanna fry that's their business."

Dale shook his head. "Daryl, you know you don't want either of these men to do that. They're scared to death. If we can talk to them, if Carol could bend their ear a bit, then that could help. We could save their lives."

"I never said I wanted them to do anything. I just don't care either way."

"Daryl!" His eyes slid over to the angry woman. "You don't mean that. And you don't tell me what to do either. If I can help these men, if Dale and Glen think I can help them, then that's what I'm going to do."

He sighed. "Fine. Ya'll ain't nothin' but a bunch of damn do gooders."

"So you two will come back with us then?" Dale asked in a hopeful voice.

"Just give us a minute. We'll be right behind you." Carol said.

Daryl rolled his eyes and watched the two men leave. He was probably really going to get an ear full now. He should have done what he usually did and kept his damn mouth shut. He looked up at the ceiling instead of at her.

"Do you really not care whether those people live or die?" She asked softly.

That wasn't the tone he had been expecting to hear from her so he looked at her and saw that she didn't look angry. Just sad. Which made him feel like a real son of a bitch. "I care about you. But they pissed me off." He said honestly.

She raised her eyebrows at him, that sad look replaced by one of mild amusement. "Well, we should go. Just because they pissed you off doesn't mean we should let them kill themselves. Everyone makes you mad, Daryl. I saw that from the first day you showed up at camp."

He sat up and swung his legs around. "If that's what you wanna do." He grumbled.

"It is." She stood up and then tried to hand him the gun.

He pushed her hand away gently and shook his head. "It's yours. I'll teach you to use a rifle too but I wanted to wait till we were outside. This'll do you for now though."

She looked stunned. "You're giving me a gun?"

"Well, I know it ain't the most romantic thing in the world to give a woman but now days it's the smartest." He smirked.

She looked down at the weapon in her hand and grinned before she looked back up. "I have a gun."

"I see that." He almost laughed.

"And I know how to use it."

He nodded and grinned. "Yeah. I know. I was here, remember?"

"Where do I put it?" She asked after looking at the gun for a few more seconds.

"Make sure the safety is on and then put it in your pants." He watched her as she checked the safety and then stuffed the gun in the back of her jeans and pulled her shirt down. "Like that?"

He laughed at her this time. "Yeah, just like that."

She grinned and then took his hands to pull him up from the bed and then wrapped her arms around his neck. "I wanna go shoot something." She said as he put his hands on her hips.

He shrugged. "Maybe you can shoot somethin' when we leave. That Milton would crap his pants if you started shootin' up the place, woman. Besides that, you don't wanna waste the ammo. When you do shoot it needs to be at a Walker."

She nodded and then pulled his face down to hers. "Tomorrow I'm going to shoot the shit out of some Walkers." She grinned.

He couldn't say anything else because she kissed him and usually when she did stuff like that his brain only went to one place. She tasted like wine and instantly he wanted more so he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Before this he'd never understood what the big deal was. It wasn't something he really thought much about. Having someone shove their tongue in his mouth never appealed to him. But as she sucked gently at his bottom lip he definitely understood the appeal now. All he would have to do was take a few steps back and there was the bed. And he knew she was willing. His fingers dug into her hips roughly.

"Mom?"

His eyes snapped open at the same time Carols did. The alcohol they had both consumed must have slowed down their ability to move very fast because instead of jumping apart like they normally would have if they had been caught like this they just froze up for a second.

Finally she stepped away from him and turned around. Sophia was leaning against the door with her arms crossed and a small smile tugging the corners of her mouth up.

"We were just talking." Carol said but she was very unconvincing. It almost came out sounding like a question.

"Good save, Carol." He said as he rolled his eyes.

Sophia just stared at them with that half amused expression on her face. Daryl blew out a breath. "Well, come on kid. What kind of smart ass thing you got to say?"

That small smile turned into an out right grin and then she shrugged her slender shoulders. "Good job, Daryl. That was exactly what I was talking about."

He had to look at the floor to hide his own smile. This kid definitely didn't need any encouraging.

"Sophia, we were just..." Carol started but the girl didn't let her finish.

"You were just kissing? I saw. I was just coming to tell you that if you needed me I'd be down the hall in Carl's room."

Carol's face turned three shades of red before she just nodded to the girl. She knew better than to deny what they had been doing.

"Have fun." Sophia said and then slipped back out the door.

"My twelve year old daughter just caught me making out with you." She hissed as she turned to him. "And then she told me to have fun."

He couldn't help it. He laughed. "Yeah, she did."

"Daryl, that's not funny. What kind of mother am I? I knew she could have walked in whenever!" She sounded like she really felt bad.

"Maybe your the kind of momma that she cares about enough that she just wants to see you happy. And for some reason she's crazy enough to think I can do that." He started chewing his thumbnail and looked away. "Let's go save those dumb ass men you're so worried about."

He could feel her eyes on him as he stalked to the door.

~H~

Everyone was still sitting in the same spots they were sitting in when her and Daryl had stormed out well over an hour ago but the mood had changed a lot. Mostly thanks to Shane. Rick and Dale were talking to Jenner, their faces determined. Jenner looked as though he was trying to be as polite as possible but it was obvious to her that he was starting to feel uncomfortable. She sat across from them like she had done before and Daryl sat down heavily in the chair next to her.

She listened to Rick for a moment. "But there has to be something else out there. A safe place. A place worth living for." He said to Jenner.

Jenner just shook his head. "Milton and I have known that it would end like this for a long time now. We've come to terms with it. We've done everything we could."

Milton looked up then and noticed that Carol was back. He shot Daryl one of those quick nervous looks but then met her eyes once more. "I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I was out of line and I hope I didn't frighten you." He said sincerely.

"She ain't scared. She ain't some pussy that's gonna curl up and die. Ain't nothin' you can say to her that's gonna change that." Daryl snapped.

She elbowed him in the ribs. Maybe he thought he was helping but he wasn't. She shot him a look that she hoped told him to shut up without her having to say it. When she looked back at Milton she gave him a small smile. She understood how the men felt. There were days when she would think death would be easier than an uncertain existence filled with fear and pain, and that was before the world went to hell. But she had always shaken off that thought. Not only because she would never leave Sophia like that but also because, inside, she had been strong. Maybe not strong enough to leave Ed but she was strong enough to live through it.

She reached across the table and touched his hand. She noticed Andrea watching her intently. Milton's hand tensed under her own and he glanced at Daryl quickly. "Milton. Why are you so sure that this is the best thing for you?" She asked in a soft voice.

Rick had stopped talking to Jenner and she could tell that everyone was looking at her. She just kept her gaze on Milton. "There isn't anything left," He said quietly.

"Milton, as long as the world is still spinning, there is always something left. It's just a little more scary out there is all."

He just shook his head sadly. "It's too dangerous."

"And it wasn't dangerous before?" She asked.

"That's different. We've seen the things that's happened out there. You saw the bodies on your way in. A world like that is not worth living in."

"You've had a cold view from behind the glass, Milton. The two of you have holed up in this place and you've been looking at everything in these ridiculous technical terms. There's death out there just like there always has been. There is fear out there just like there was fear out there before. It's on a bigger scale now but all those other things, those little things that always made life worth living before, they're still out there too."

The room had grown so quiet that her gentle voice could be heard easily.

"It's easier this way." Milton argued dully.

"Yes. I agree. I can see why it appeals to you. But hasn't this always been the easier thing to do? Say you killed yourself five years ago. Long before things got the way they are now. Tell me some of the things you would have missed out on seeing. Some of the things, no matter how small, that's touched you in the last five years. Jokes that have made you laugh. People that have shown you kindness. Friends that you've made. If you had died five years ago, what would you have missed out on?" She asked with a small smile.

He looked down at her hand that was still covering his. "But it isn't like it was then. I would have missed out on a lot if I had died that long ago. But there isn't anything to miss out on now. There's nothing left. Hunger, pain, fear. That's all there is."

It seemed as though they were the only two in the room. Their voices kept getting quieter.

"A year ago my husband came home from work late and his dinner had gotten cold. He was furious." She stopped smiling as she took a breath and went on. "He grabbed me by the back of the neck and slammed my face into the refrigerator so hard that he broke three bones in my face. I blacked out and woke up on the floor hours later and then had to drive myself to the hospital while he sat in his chair and watched television."

Milton looked as though he wanted to cry at that and he turned his hand over in hers and squeezed. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't be. When I got back home from the hospital it was nearly dawn and everyone was still asleep. I went out to the back porch and I sat on the step." She smiled at the memory. "I waited for the sun to come up and I sat thinking about how much easier it would have been if I hadn't woken up. If maybe that had been the blow that had finally killed me."

She felt Daryl stiffen next to her and she leaned into him a little.

"I sat there like that and thought about how many more times he was going to hurt me before I just couldn't go on anymore. And then when the sun finally broke over the horizon that morning it was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. The clouds lit up and no artist in the world could have painted a more beautiful picture. I stared at that scene for so long that I nearly went blind." She laughed quietly, "And then I thought to myself, I would have missed this if he had killed me. It didn't make the pain go away. It didn't make my fear go away. But right then I was glad to be alive so I could witness that sunrise. It may not seem like much right now. It probably sounds like the silliest thing in the world. But at the time it wasn't."

"What are you saying?" Milton whispered.

"What I'm saying is, there are still things out there worth living for. Still beauty in this world even if you have to look much harder to find it. There are still people to meet and things to see and places to go. It's going to be scary and it's all going to be uncertain but it's going to be worth it. I truly believe that."

No one said anything for a long time and finally Milton looked up. But he didn't look at her. He looked at Daryl. "How could you do that to her?" He asked severely.

"Huh?" Daryl asked, clearly confused.

"How could you hurt someone like her?"

Carol understood instantly. "Milton, he isn't my husband."

He looked back and forth between them. "He isn't? I just thought... but you have those bruises" He looked at her throat then.

"My husband is dead. This was just a parting gift." She said quietly.

He nodded. "So who is he?"

Carol gave his hand a finally squeeze before she let it go. "He's another reason that I am very glad to be alive right now. Even in this new world." She smiled. "He's another reason for me to live."


	21. Chapter 21

**I hope you all got the email that I had posted chapter twenty! I didn't know that the site was messed up and wasn't alerting anyone of new chapters! But that is suppose to be fixed. There is a point to this chapter. It is the build up to a Dixon breakthrough. I hope you like it. I like it. But I wrote it and that makes me biased I suppose. Hope you all have a good morning! Thanks for reviewing!**

Chapter Twenty One

Daryl threw two blankets and a pillow onto the couch. The room was much cooler than they were used too since the air conditioning worked. He glanced at the bed longingly. Carol was in the bathroom changing.

Sophia had her arms crossed. "Daryl, this is stupid. It's your room. I can sleep on the couch."

"Shut up. I've slept on the ground most of my life. This couch is gonna be just fine."

He sat down and started unlacing his boots and then Sophia dove behind him onto the couch and laid her head on the pillow. She pulled the blankets up to her chin.

"Get the hell up." He said as he eyed her.

"No."

He turned so he was facing her. "You think I can't pick your skinny ass up and move you myself?" He scowled.

"Oh, that would look real good. My mom comes out of that bathroom and you're throwing me around. You know how much trouble you'd be in?"

"I ain't scared of your momma. What happened to that kid that kept her mouth shut and listened to her elders? Get the hell off my couch."

She shook her head and then Carol came out of the bathroom. Daryl swallowed. She was wearing a thin pair of cotton pajamas and a tank top. She put her hands on her hips and eyed the two of them.

"What are you two doing?"

"Nothin'." He said quickly.

"Arguing." Sophia chimed in.

He shot her a look but she just ignored him.

"About?" Carol raised her eyebrows.

"About the couch." Sophia said as she yawned.

"She wont get up. She's a brat." He grumbled.

"No I'm not. You're just stubborn." Sophia said sleepily.

"Shut up. I ain't stubborn."

Sophia just shrugged and closed her eyes.

Daryl just shook his head and frowned at her. It didn't look like she was going anywhere and when he looked up at Carol she was already in the bed so it didn't seem like she much cared either. And she was the whole reason he was going to sleep on the couch in the first place. She had been so embarrassed earlier when Sophia had came in that he figured that she wouldn't want them in the same bed but he wasn't going to have the two of them sleeping in the other room alone. These guys seemed okay but he wasn't taking any chances. Jenner was kind of creepy.

He looked back at the girl and he could have sworn she had been looking right at him but her eyes were closed now and there was a smirk on her face. He had to admit that he was glad she'd stolen the couch. But he had to be very careful once he got into that bed with Carol. It didn't take much for things between them to escalate and there couldn't be any of that happening with the kid in the room.

He turned out the light and was about to crawl over her but she caught him around the neck, keeping him right there above her. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid. But he brought his face down to hers and kissed her lightly. He kept his hands braced on the bed and held himself away from her. He felt her lips turn up and he pulled away.

"What?" He whispered.

"Nothing." She unwound her arms and let them drop to her sides.

He moved away from her and laid down on his back, shoving his hands under the pillow so he wouldn't even be tempted to touch her. She did what she usually did and curled up against him but she too kept her hands to herself. They were both tired anyway. And Sophia was about ten feet away. He had to keep reminding himself that every time he felt the urge to take his hands from under the pillow.

"Do you think I was able to change their minds?" She whispered as she moved her head to his chest, causing him to sigh.

"I don't know. I think maybe that Milton guy could have changed his mind but Jenner seemed hell bent on stayin' here."

"I feel bad for them." She said sadly.

He rolled over onto his side, only keeping one hand under the pillow and used his arm to drag her closer. He hated that sound. She had spent too much time sounding like that. He wasn't used to that tone anymore and it drove him crazy. "It ain't your job to feel bad for them. They're grown men. They make their own decisions."

"Well, that's true but they don't think there's anything worth living for. Nothing. And that's just sad, you know? They're just scared."

"We're all fuckin' scared. Ain't no reason to go and off yourself."

"You're scared?" She asked, sounding shocked at this news.

He thought about that. Was he scared of the Walkers? Not really. Sure they were creepy as hell but he was used to them now. The only thing he could think of that scared him was something happening to her or Sophia. And not being able to stop it. That was pretty much it. And he was having a hard time coming to terms with that. It was the reason he had been so pissed off when Milton had said that earlier. Because what if he wasn't able to keep them safe.

"Daryl?"

"Nah, I ain't scared." But even as he said the words he tightened his grip around her waist.

~H~

Carol reached over and turned on the light. Someone woke her up knocking on the door and she had to slide out from under Daryl's heavy arm to even get up to see who was there. Just as she was about to get out of bed he pulled her back to him and buried his face in her shoulder.

"They'll go away in a minute. Kill the lights, woman." He grumbled into her neck.

She tried to shove his head away but he wouldn't move. "Daryl, it could be important."

"Not more important than our last night in a real bed." He said and then he bit her shoulder gently.

Her breath came out in a hiss at the feel of his teeth on her skin. She almost forgot that there was someone knocking when he raised his head and grinned at her sleepily. Right before his lips met hers someone said something.

"I'm really happy about all this but do I have to watch you guys make out?"

Daryl rolled over onto his back and covered his face with the pillow. "Forgot you were in here." His voice was clearly embarrassed even though it was muffled by the pillow.

Carol couldn't even look over at her. This could not happen again. She had forgotten about her own daughter being in the room. What the hell was wrong with her?

She got up and hurried to open the door. It was Shane, of all people. And he looked drunk. She glanced back into the room but Daryl's head was still covered up. "I'll be right back." She said quickly and then slipped out the door, pulling it closed behind her.

"Is something wrong?" She whispered, crossing her arms over her chest. She hadn't expected him.

"I just wanted to see you." He said quietly. "Lori, she keeps messin' with my head, you know."

She was right. He was drunk. Very drunk. "Shane, I'm sorry about that but this really isn't the time to talk about it. Maybe we can talk about it in the morning."

Carol glanced at the door nervously. If Daryl came out and saw Shane it would surely end up bloody and she didn't want to see that happen again and she certainly didn't want to be the reason.

"Why couldn't she have been like you. See, you're too good to fuck with someones head. But not her. She's always fuckin' with my head and she's drivin' me crazy, Carol."

She couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. With one last look at the door she made a split decision that she hoped she wouldn't regret. She walked to her own room, right next door and motioned for him to follow. She'd talk to him for a minute and then she would go right back to Daryl's room.

When the door closed behind him he looked up from below his brow and smiled. "You're a good woman, Carol. You know that?"

"Thanks Shane. But listen, you have to get over Lori, okay? Rick's alive. He's back. And so you have to just let go. It's for the best." She said quickly. She really hoped Daryl didn't come looking for her.

"I know." He nodded. "But she ain't makin' it easy. She's hot and cold. I don't know what the hell is goin' on with her. She wants me to stay away from you but she acts like what we had is over."

"Stay away from me? Why?" She asked with a frown.

He laughed. "You tell me. Seems to me like she's jealous. She thinks I wanna try to get with you or somethin'."

Carol scoffed. "Why would she think that? It's ridiculous."

He smiled again and shook his head. "No it ain't."

She was already standing about six feet away from him but she took another step back. "What?"

"Come on, Carol." He said with a shake of his head. "You know you can do better, right? Dixon ain't got shit to offer a woman like you. And that temper of his, you don't think he wont eventually turn that around on you. Was Ed always like that? Or was it all fine at first and then it got bad after time. You think he's any different?"

Carol shook her head. "He is nothing like Ed."

He closed the distance and she had no where to go. Her back was almost against the wall. "No. I'm nothin' like Ed. Dixon is just like Ed. You should cut him loose, Carol. I'd treat you right. You can get over Dixon, I could get over Lori. It's a win win. Neither one of us would have to hurt anymore." He reached up and slid his finger across the bruises at her throat. And then leaned down. "I have a lot more to offer you than him. I could protect you better than him. I'm a better man for you than he is Carol."

His face was dangerously close to hers. "Shane, stop." Her voice came out in a whisper.

"Is that what you really want?" he asked in her ear as his other hand slid over her hip.

"Yes."

She stayed perfectly still. It was a defense mechanism that she had learned a long time ago. Don't fight. Just wait and it would be over soon.

He forced his mouth on hers and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. His tongue parted her lips and then something very strange happened. She got pissed. Her eyes snapped open as wide as they would go and then she shoved him as hard as she could.

She was only able to move him a few inches but he pulled his face away from hers and stared at her. His eyes looked scary, glazed, feverish. When he moved forward again she slapped him as hard as she could across the face. He stepped back.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Shane?" She hissed.

He shook his head. "You know that this is what you want." He argued angrily.

"You come near me again and I swear to God I'll kill you myself." She spat as she headed towards the door.

"Carol, wait. I'm sorry." He called as she opened the door.

"Go to hell, Shane."

When she got back to Daryl's room he was just about to open the door. She actually hit him with it when she shoved through it. Without a word she stormed to the bathroom.

How dare that son of bitch do that! She snatched her toothbrush from the sink and loaded it down with toothpaste. He kissed her! She was scrubbing her tongue when Daryl stuck his head in the partially opened door. She spit in the sink and then scrubbed some more.

"What the hell, Carol? Who was that?" He asked as he came all the way into the room.

She rinsed her mouth out and then spun around to face him. "Shane." She growled. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and was surprised at the anger she saw in her own eyes.

"The fuck did he want?" Daryl asked, starting to sound angry himself.

"To talk." She crossed her hands over her chest and glared at the floor.

"Well, what did he say that's got you so pissed off." He asked and then tilted her head up with a finger under her chin.

He narrowed his eyes. Daryl wasn't a stupid man. He was much more observant than people thought. He looked down at the toothbrush and then back up to her angry eyes.

"He didn't. Just tell me he didn't." He growled. That look he had given Milton was nothing compared to the look on his face now.

She had been so angry that she hadn't thought to act like nothing had happened. Didn't consider lying to him. And now she realized that that was exactly what she should have done. Instead she had let her anger get the better of her and now she knew that something very bad was going to come from this.

She shook her head. "He was drunk. Really drunk." She said quickly. "He was babbling about Lori and then he must have just been so upset that he did it without thinking. Daryl stop!" She grabbed his arm as he turned to leave the room.

He surprised her when he stopped. She expected him to storm out and find Shane no matter what she said. His muscles were tense under her hands, his whole body rigid. She tugged on his arm until he turned around. "Please don't do anything. Not right now."

He slammed his hands down on the counter, trapping her between his arms and for just a split second, she thought of what Shane had said to her. Ed hadn't started out violent at all. Daryl had a violent streak in him already that they had all seen.

She shook off the thought as soon as it entered her mind. That strange anger flared inside her again. Shane had planted that seed in her head and it was trying to take root. She wasn't afraid of Daryl. He was violent. She had seen it. But not when it came to her. He wouldn't hurt her.

His face was close to hers and his eyes were still as hard as steel. The anger there was causing her heart to race. She had to keep reminding herself that she wasn't scared of him. "I know I can't tell you what to do. I know I ain't your boss and I don't even wanna try to control you. But you best stay the fuck away from him. Cause if you don't I'll slit the bastards throat in his sleep."

She nodded quickly. "I don't want to be around him." She whispered. "And I already told him that if he ever touched me again I'd kill him myself."

That anger seemed to drain away quickly and she relaxed. She hadn't even realized how tense she had been trapped between his arms like that. "You told him that?" The corner of his mouth pulled up a little.

She nodded quickly.

"And he didn't try to do anything else?" he asked. There was still a hard edge to his voice but it wasn't directed towards her.

She shook her head. "He just said that you wasn't any different than Ed. That you'd end up doing the same thing." Why did she keep telling him things that was going to spark that anger again. But he didn't get angry over what she had told him.

"He said that?" He frowned. "Do people really think I could do that shit to you? I ain't my fuckin' brother. When will everybody stop lookin' at me like I am?"

She didn't like that look in his eye. She put her hand to his face and leaned towards him. "I don't look at you like that." She whispered.

He put his forehead against hers and gave her a sad smile.

"And I don't think anyone else does either. Everyone in this group owes you their life. And they know it. They probably don't think you're as great as I do but they still think you're pretty okay. They know you aren't like Merle. Shane's just an asshole. His opinion doesn't count for a thing."

He looked unconvinced but he gave her a smile anyway. A real one but it didn't last very long. "I wouldn't ever put my hands on you. Not like that." He said quietly, searching her eyes.

"I know that." She said and then felt so guilty that it made her sick for the fear she had felt in the face of his anger.

"You guys okay?" Sophia asked quietly as she pushed the door all the way open.

They both smiled and then looked at her. "We're fine." Carol said. "Go back to bed. We'll be out in a minute, okay."

Sophia just nodded and shut the door.

Daryl turned his head so he was looking at her again. "We need to do the same thing. I wanna get the hell outta here as early as we can."

She nodded and led him out by the hand. She didn't feel tired anymore. She felt keyed up from what happened with Shane. She felt like she still needed to make Daryl feel better. She was afraid to say what she really wanted to say.

She slipped in next to him and turned out the light. There were no windows in their underground room so it was black as pitch. Even the crack under the door didn't let in any of the light from the hallway. His arms came around her before she even had a chance to lay all the way back and she turned towards him. Her lips found his throat and she felt his heart start to race under her palm. She moved so her head was resting on his shoulder.

Eventually his heart slowed and she could tell he was asleep as soon as his arms tightened around her. He always held her tighter in his sleep. Like he was afraid that if he didn't she would slip away.


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay friends. I needed all the help I could get with this Chapter. I set my Pandora to some old school soul. I channeled the likes of Al Green, Bill Withers, Otis Redding and a little Percy Sledge. Hahaha! So this chapter has got the love, people. I know that this may not seem very Darylesk. But as we all know, a man is a complicated creature, and I figured given the right setting and the right mood, even the lovely Daryl could open up a bit. I tried to deliver it the way I thought he would. There is a lot of inner conflict. I, for some reason, really love this chapter but I wont lie, I have trouble with lovey dovey stuff. I spent hours agonizing over every damn word. Six hours for this one chapter actually. And I'm sure after you read it you will think me crazy. But that's fine. I honestly don't have much of a sweet romantic bone in my body so I struggle at times ;) But I worked hard damn it! So I hope I've done you proud ;) Thanks, as always for the reviews!**

**Oh yeah, and just in case make sure you pay attention to what chapter you last read in case you weren't notified!**

Chapter Twenty Two

Daryl sat straight up in bed. The dream was already fading and he let it go. Actually he tried to force it out of his head. It wasn't something that he wanted to remember. The only thing he remembered about it was that it involved Carol and Shane and him stepping through a doorway and seeing them together and it had about made him sick. Shane's hands running over her body. Shane's mouth all over her. Neither of them wearing many clothes. He put a hand to his stomach and almost groaned. He felt her stir and then she sat up next to him.

"What's wrong?" She whispered. He felt her hand on his back and he had to remember that it had been a dream. Nothing that she would ever do in real life. He relaxed slightly.

"Nothin'. I think it's time to get up. We gotta get out of here." He didn't mean to sound as harsh as he had and he knew she heard it in his voice because her hand went still on his back.

"Okay." She pulled her hand away and he could hear the hurt in that one whispered word.

He reached out and ran a hand up her calve and then moved, pushing her back down gently. He settled himself between her legs and put his face next to her ear. "Sorry." He whispered.

She brushed her hand down his chest. "It's alright."

"Is it?" He growled and then ran his mouth along her jaw.

"Yeah." She breathed.

He knew he needed to move but he really didn't want to. After that dream he felt like he needed to know that she was there. And she was with him and that was where she wanted to be. He knew it was stupid. He knew he didn't have anything to worry about when it came to her. If he wanted to walk out right now and leave the others in the dust he knew she would go right with him. But that really was one fucked up dream and he really just wanted to feel her there.

"Daryl?"

He didn't answer her. He found her mouth and then she didn't have anymore questions. She just settled in and kissed him back. And that was what he needed. He didn't like feeling like he wasn't in control. He didn't like feeling like his whole world was balanced on this one small woman. Didn't like the fact that if she said the wrong thing it could undo him.

He was the one to finally pull away. "You ready to get out of here?" He whispered.

"No. But if we don't want to blow up I think we need to." She ran her finger along his bottom lip and he could hear the smile in her voice.

Instead of moving he kissed her again and she wrapped her legs around him, causing him to groan. She laughed softly against his lips.

"Don't forget that Sophia is asleep about ten feet away." Carol said before he could kiss her again.

"I didn't forget." He whispered as he kissed her throat. In his minds eye he could see the bruises that still marred her skin under his lips.

"Okay. But are you regretting turning me down in the R.V.?"

"Nope."

She was the one that groaned now. "I'm starting to think that you like this part of it but aren't all that interested in the rest."

"Oh, I'm interested in the rest. But I..." He didn't finish the sentence. He caught himself before he said the rest. He didn't even know where it had come from.

"But you what?" She pressed.

"Nothin'." he grumbled and tried to pull away but she locked her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck and he stopped trying to move.

"Not nothin'." She said as she craned her neck to reach his lips.

He kissed her again, this time longer than before and he didn't lift his head until she was moving under him, driving him crazy.

"You're trying to distract me." She accused quietly. "You were going to say something bad, weren't you?" She asked worriedly.

"No I wasn't. You're the one grindin' against me like a harlot." He growled.

"You being there for me to grind against to begin with just proves that you're trying to distract me. If you were going to say something bad then just say it. I'm tougher than I look, you know?" Her tone was joking but he could hear something else there too. Worry?

"Carol, you're crazy. There isn't one bad thing I could say about you. Or this."

"Daryl." She groaned.

"I love you." he said into her neck. "I was gonna say that I love you and I wasn't gonna do it in the camper because I didn't think it was right too. Are you happy now? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

He was almost angry. He had never said that to another person. Not his parents and not his brother. Just her. And it was the scariest thing he had ever done in his life because this was that moment he had been dreading since the very beginning. This was the moment that she was going to tell him that she couldn't love somebody like him back. That they were too different. That he was too much like his brother. That he wasn't the type of person that another person could love. And he already knew all of that. He knew it and he had said it to her anyway. He knew he meant it with everything in him but he never thought he would tell her.

She went still under him. He braced himself for what she had to say. She would let him down easy. She wouldn't be mean about it. She was probably trying to think of some way to tell him to ease the sting a little. She was still Carol. She was still the nicest person that he knew so she would try not to hurt him too much.

The silence was going on for too long. It almost made him wish that the damn building would go ahead and blow up before he had to listen to her. Or worse. What if she just pushed him away and then got up. Took Sophia and left the room and avoided him forever because he was so fucking stupid for thinking, for just a split second, that he was good enough for...

"You do?" She interrupted his thoughts.

Why did she have to ask a question like that? Did she want him to take it back and say he was kidding or something? He couldn't do that. It was there. Hanging over them like a black cloud. He tried to pull away from her again but it worked about as good as it had before. She clung to him so he couldn't move and then he felt her hands threading through his hair. And he went ahead and answered her, even though he didn't want to. "I do." He wished he was still drunk. Then he would have that as an excuse.

"Daryl?" She whispered so low he almost didn't hear her over the pounding of his heart.

Here it was. She was about to say that she didn't feel the same way. That he was fun to mess around with but wasn't the kind of man she could have anything real with. And he wasn't ready to deal with what it all meant.

"Just hurry up and say what you have to say, Carol. I can take it." He whispered but he was lying. He couldn't take it at all.

"I love you."

~H~

She felt him freeze. Like everything in his body turned to stone above her. She had a hand on his chest and the other in his hair and it felt like he literally stopped breathing.

"What?" He almost barked and the loud sound in the room nearly scared her to death.

"Shhh!"

"Sorry." he said, much quieter.

She couldn't believe he had said it. It wasn't something that she had ever expected to hear come out of the mouth of Daryl Dixon. And she knew he meant it. If he hadn't then he never would have said it. That wasn't the kind of person he was. He had said last night that he cared about her and that was shocking enough. She had hidden it well but she was so happy that he'd said he cared that she could have cried. And now this? This was much much more than she ever thought she would get from him. Whatever he offered her she would take, but this wasn't something she ever imagined he could offer.

Ed had told her that he loved her what felt like a million years ago. She recalled him saying it twice. Once before they got married and then once again during their wedding. Never after that. Sophia told her that she loved her all the time and she knew that it was true. But to hear those words from a man, a real man, this man, was actually not something she would have thought she would ever hear.

"Carol?" She heard her name in his breath and she realized that she had grown just as still as he had. "Don't just say it because I did, okay. Cause ain't nobody ever bothered sayin' it before and if you don't mean I don't want to hear it."

She didn't think she had ever heard so much raw emotion in her life. Those whispered words held so much uncertainty and so much hurt that she felt tears slip from the corners of her eyes. What could his life had been like for him to be in so much torment over someone telling him that they loved him? It made her angry. He had his faults, just like the rest of the world, but despite them, he was the best person she had ever known. She realized, too late that his face was in the direct path of those traitorous tears. He lifted his head up slowly

"Don't do that." He whispered as his thumbs wiped the moisture away. She felt, in just that brief contact, that his hands were shaking. "It's alright. Really."

He was still doubting her and she realized that she hadn't responded yet and he was probably sure that she hadn't meant it when she had told him. "Daryl, I wouldn't ever say that to you if it wasn't true."

She still had one hand in his hair and she pulled his face down before he could spend anymore time thinking that she wasn't being honest. He finally relaxed, laying his head on her chest as she ran her fingers through his hair. She hoped he believed her. Hoped that he knew that she loved him. She could have laughed at the irony of it all. How she had to wait until the end of the world to finally find herself and to finally find him. To find love in a place where monsters were real and they weren't guaranteed tomorrow. When everything was balanced on the head of a pin. Leave it up to her.

All to soon she felt him moving away until he was sitting up on his knees. He found her hands and pulled her up until she was sitting. His lips brushed against hers briefly and then she heard him sigh.

"Time to get the fuck outta this place woman. Hit the showers if you want. It might be the last hot one you ever get."

"That's one of the things I love about you, Daryl. All you're undying optimism." She groaned before she turned on the light and was finally able to see his face. She had messed up his hair and his eyes were still sleepy looking.

And, of course, he was smirking at her. And he was absolutely gorgeous. And he was all hers.


	23. Chapter 23

**Oh, our dear Carol has to toughen up a bit in this chapter. I know that it is probably too soon but I couldn't resist. Every time she is able to bring out some bad assedness (I know that isn't even a word) I have to let her. No worries though, she isn't Carol from the story Fighting Back and she wont be in this. But it was just too good and it was deserved in my book. You are all the best and thank you for all of your reviews and support. I'm diggin' it ;) And make sure you've read chapter 22 before you read this. I don't trust this site to notify you of updates! **

Chapter Twenty Three

Daryl was lacing up his boots when he heard a knock at the door. Sophia, who was already dressed and ready to go, jumped up from her seat next to him on the couch and opened the door before he could even say anything.

"Hi Carl." She said breezily.

He heard them talk for a minute but he didn't pay attention to anything they were saying. His mind was turned inward at the moment.

"Earth to Daryl!" Sophia said as she leaned her face close to his and tapped the side of his head.

He hadn't even heard her say anything. "Huh?"

She laughed at him and he found himself smiling at her. "I asked if I could go back to the game room before we leave." She said eagerly, keeping her face close to his.

"You got all your shit together?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yep."

He glanced at the door to the bathroom where Carol was showering and then finally shrugged. But right before she could take off he grabbed her by the hand and yanked her back. She gave him a questioning look but didn't pull away from him.

"You watch your ass, okay?" He grumbled.

"I will." She grinned.

"And you stay the fuck away from Shane. Unless there's somethin' around to stab him with. And if you end up stabbin' him I'll take the blame."

He shot Carl a look as the kid backed out of the door.

Sophia grabbed Daryl by the sides of his face and then kissed him on the forehead before hurrying off. "Yes, Sir." She grinned as she dashed out the door.

He sat there stunned for a minute and then shook head. He could feel the goofy grin on his face but he didn't care. He surveyed their stuff. There wasn't a lot. Only a few bags. He checked around the room to make sure nothing was getting left behind. They didn't have enough stuff now days to risk leaving anything behind. The only thing left was whatever they had still in the bathroom. Tooth brushes and soap and little things like that. He debated for only a second before slipping through the door. The steam was so thick it reminded him of that night at the quarry.

"Daryl, get out!" He looked up and laughed as Carol peered around the crack of the shower door. The glass was frosted so he couldn't really see much but he couldn't help but stare at what he could see.

"I gotta get the rest of our shit, woman. Can't be forgettin' anything." He said as he snatched the toothbrushes off the counter. He looked up and caught her glaring.

"Sophia knows I'm in here, Daryl. I can get the stuff when I'm done."

"She left with Carl just now." he said as he watched her face.

"Oh. Well, that's different." She slid the door shut again and he watched as she turned around and got back under the spray.

"Son of a bitch," he mumbled as he watched her. She was nothing but a blur behind the glass but he could see enough. Just a side profile but that was the best view of her that he had ever had. He could see how pale she was, every soft swell and straight angle was right there for him to see.

He looked down when he heard a soft snap. "Mother fuck." He growled when he saw that his fists had been clenched so tight that he snapped one of the toothbrushes in half. His own to be specific. He looked back up in time to see her head turn towards him.

"You're still here?" She asked, sounding amused.

He watched her drag her hands slowly down the front of her and suddenly his mouth went dry. The smell of her soap filled his nostrils. He had to get the fuck out of the room. Had to stop looking at her like that. But he kept watching, in his minds eye the glass wasn't frosted and he could make out each individual drop of water as it traveled down her body.

"Fuck." He breathed and then he bolted out the door. If not then he was going to end up ripping the goddamn shower door off and take her right there. He had to get his head together. They had to leave. Soon. No time for all of that. Even though he couldn't get the sight of her out of his head. He'd have another long day to deal with. He sighed and then sat down on the bed heavily. She really was going to kill him.

Another knock at the door was enough to get his thoughts back in order. When he stood up he looked down to make sure there wasn't an obvious bulge in his pants. He blew out his breath and opened the door.

Shane was standing on the other side of the door and it took everything in his power to keep from knocking the other mans teeth down his throat. The dream he had had the night before flashed through his head and he had to grind his teeth together.

They regarded each other for another few seconds before Shane finally gave him his usual cocky smirk. "Carol in there? I need to talk to her."

"The fuck you do. You done enough talkin', asshole." Daryl growled.

That smirk of Shane's faltered a bit. "She told you about that?" He seemed disbelieving.

"Yeah." Daryl gave him a smile of his own but there was no humor in it. "You know Shane. You might wanna think about movin' on. Getting' over it. She ain't your type. She ain't the kind of woman that'll fall for your bullshit and she ain't some whore that's just gonna jump in bed with you just cause you're there."

"Is that right?" Shane asked casually leaning against the door frame and keeping that smug look in place.

"Yeah, it is."

"So, what, you got some kind of redneck claim on her now just cause you offed her husband and shared a bed with her a few times. You're the one that needs to get over it, Dixon."

Daryl shook his head and was about to say to hell with it and go ahead with is first plan and knock his teeth out but then he felt a small hand on his arm and he looked over.

Carol was there and she looked pissed. "You can't take a hint can you? I told you to stay the hell away from me, Shane." She said, almost calmly.

Shane held up is hands. "I just came to apologize. What I did last night was..."

He shut his mouth real quick when Carol stepped past Daryl and shoved a gun in his face. "What you did last night was typical behavior for a man like you. What you did last night was nearly force yourself on me. What you did last night really pissed me off, Shane. Maybe you should walk your ass down a few doors and apologize to your best friend for sleeping with his wife while he was gone. Cause I don't care if you wanna say sorry to me. I told you. Stay. Away."

"You gonna shoot me?" He said as he stepped back.

"You gonna try me?" She snapped. "I told you no and then you shoved your tongue down my throat. I want you to leave me alone."

His hands were still raised. "Fine. I'll stay away. But I am sorry. I was drunk."

"You know how many times I've heard that excuse? You've got it all wrong Shane. Daryl isn't anything like Ed was. But I think you might be. You're an arrogant self serving son of a bitch. Keep walking."

He turned around, hands still in the air and walked on down the hall.

Daryl grabbed her by the waistband of her jeans and pulled her into the room. "Jesus Christ, woman!"

She stuffed the gun into her waistband and turned around, placing her hands on his chest. "Was that too much?" She breathed. He could feel her hands shaking and he covered them with his own.

"That might have been the hottest fuckin' thing I've ever seen any woman do in my life. But, yeah, it was a bit much. I could have handled it." he laughed.

"No. It's time for me to start handling things myself. And I heard what he said." She shook her head and gave him a wink before turning around and grabbing her and Sophia's bags. "And nobody is gonna talk to you that way. Not in front of me." She kissed him lightly and then walked out the door. He watched her walk down the hallway and turn the corner. There was a new confidence to her step that he had never seen before.

"Holy shit." He mumbled as he grabbed his own bag, killed the lights and followed after her.

~H~

Everyone was gathered around the doors that they had came through yesterday. When Carol walked in everyone turned to look at her. Everyone but Shane, who kept his head pointed towards the windows.

Sophia walked up to her with a smile on her face. It was so nice to see her smiling so much. And she knew who she had to thank for it. "Mom, we have a lot more stuff now. Dr. Jenner gave us a ton of supplies and all of his weapons." Sophia said after hugging her tightly.

Carol knew this was a good thing but she felt her spirits drop a little. If he was giving them his supplies then that could only mean that him and Milton were staying. She hadn't been able to change their minds. She had really hoped she could have.

She felt an arm slide around her waist and then Daryl pulled her a little closer. "You tried. That's all you can do. Everything else was up to them."

She nodded. "I know. I just thought maybe..." She sighed. "Never mind. Sophia, did you eat breakfast?" She asked sadly.

"Yeah. We all did. There's some for you two but they got tired of waiting so Jenner packed you something for the road." Sophia said before she joined the others.

Andrea and Amy saw them then and waved them over. They were both grinning excitedly. Daryl stayed by her side as she made her way over to them.

"You wont believe the things we got!" Amy said happily.

Andrea nodded. "He gave us a lot of medical supplies and food. Guns and ammo. We will be set for year. It's amazing."

Daryl leaned his head next to her ear. "I need to go figure out what Rick's got planned for us now." He said quietly.

She nodded and reached up to kiss him lightly. He was getting used to it because he kissed her back happily and then pulled his face back a few inches. "You swear you ain't gonna kill anybody?" He grinned.

She laughed and kissed him again. "I swear." She pushed him away and watched as he strolled over to the other men. Shane avoided him, keeping to Rick's other side.

"So," Andrea grinned and tugged her by the hand. "Are you and Dixon an official thing now?" Her face was lit up like a high school girl about to get the latest gossip and Carol was so grateful that she had such a good friend in the other woman. She smiled back and glanced towards the men.

"I think so. I hope so. I love the man." She shrugged.

Andrea's eyes widened. "You do?"

Carol nodded. "I do."

"I knew it. I knew it and I was right. This is fantastic!" Andrea was nearly shouting.

"Be quiet." Carol shushed her and then glanced around. She met Daryl's narrowed eyes and then he smirked and looked away.

"You knew what?" Lori asked as she walked up to them.

Andrea's smile slipped right off her face and Carol could feel hers doing the same.

"Nothing Lori. Just talking." Andrea said as she leaned her shoulder into Carol's.

"Could this have anything to do with your visit from Shane in the middle of the night?" Lori asked with a wicked smile on her face.

Andrea's head came around quickly. "What? You didn't tell me that part."

Carol narrowed her eyes at Lori. "I didn't get a chance to tell you about it yet."

"Did the two of you have fun?" Lori asked, still holding onto that fake smile.

"Did Shane tell you he saw me last night?" She asked.

Lori shook her head. "I heard someone in the hall so I looked out and saw the two of you going into your room. Does Daryl know about that?" Lori asked casually. "Because he was the one that was looking after your daughter while you were sneaking off with another man."

Andrea's face went from annoyed to dangerous in no time. "Are you serious right now?"

Carol put a hand on Andrea's arm and shook her head. Andrea closed her mouth but rolled her eyes, thinking Carol was just going to drop it and let Lori say what she pleased. Carol had other plans.

"Lori, please just come right out and tell me what is bothering you. This beating around the bush is getting tiresome. Do you want Shane or do you want Rick? Because quite frankly I'm tired of watching you play them both for fools. Daryl knows who I am. And he knows that I would never, in a million years, choose a man like Shane over him. But just to let you know, that is what Shane was doing in my room. Trying to convince me to be with him so he can get you out of his head. Now, if you'll excuse us, Andrea and I were in the middle of a private conversation."

She turned away from a wide eyed gaping Lori and faced her friend once more. "Now, where were we?" She smiled.


	24. Chapter 24

**This chapter bored me. I don't know why really, but it did. But it's one that has to be so I hope you folks don't fall asleep reading it ;) Thanks for reading and reviewing and being so so cool!**

Chapter Twenty Four

Rick's eyes met Daryl's and he nodded. "So, we head away from the city. There's cars on the highway so we'll be able to siphon some gas. Maybe go through some of the vehicles and get our hands on more food and supplies."

"Sounds good to me." Daryl rolled his shoulders and looked up in time to see Milton and Jenner enter the room. "Well, I'll be damned." He said as he gestured towards the two men.

Jenner still looked the same. Maybe a little more sad than he had yesterday. Milton on the other hand was dressed in regular clothes. Jeans and a button down plaid shirt that Daryl would have actually liked if maybe the man would just rip the sleeves off. Milton took an unsteady breath and walked towards the men. He was carrying a few bags with him and a suit case.

He didn't reach the men before he was stopped by Carol and Andrea. Carol, being Carol, hugged the poor guy and Daryl almost laughed when Milton's wide eyes went straight to him. Good, at least the man knew not to try to mess with her. Even if she was obviously happy to see him all packed and ready to go. He looked away from Daryl, smiling a little and patted Carol's back awkwardly but as soon as Carol pulled away Andrea did the same and he repeated his awkward back patting. Man, this was going to be fun to watch. The guy was in worse shape than Daryl had been in.

Everyone moved towards Jenner and Milton. Carol went straight to Daryl's side and took his hand. She was grinning from ear to ear and he couldn't help but grin back. She was happy so he was happy. Now if only they could get Shane to take Milton's place.

"Milton has decided to go with you, as long as the offer still stands." Jenner said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Rick nodded. "Of course it still stands. But what about you?"

Jenner just gave him a small sad smile. "There isn't anything out there for me. I'm going to go ahead... with our original plan."

"There isn't anything we can say to change your mind?" Dale asked from the back of the group.

Jenner shook his head. "I just wanted to thank you all. You made my last night a really interesting one. I wish you all the best."

Everyone looked around when the lights dimmed a little. Jenner just gave them that haunted smile. "You may want to head out now. These doors wont open again once those generators run dry."

Carol let go of Daryl's hand and walked up to Jenner and hugged him just like she did Milton but with less enthusiasm. But Jenner hugged her back tightly. She pulled away and said a few words and he smiled at her, shaking his head. She walked away, grabbing Sophia by the hand and stood next to the door.

Daryl took her lead and stepped up to the man and offered him his hand. Jenner shook it and then nodded. He walked up to Carol. She was wiping away tears from her face and he instantly grabbed the back of her head and pulled her face to his chest so she would have somewhere to cry. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kept her head there, sniffling. He felt a small hand slide into his and he looked down at Sophia. He gave her hand a squeeze and smiled a little.

Everyone else did as him and Carol had done. Milton lingered, speaking to him briefly before grabbing his things and coming to stand with the rest of them. They all had more to carry since they were loaded down with supplies now, thanks to Jenner, but there was enough people that it would only take one trip to get it all to the vehicles.

Daryl happened to look up just as Lori was pulling away from Jenner but he stopped her, leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She tensed and then asked him something which his response was a grim nod. She covered her mouth with her hand stepped away from him. Her eyes shot towards Shane and Rick who stood off to the side talking to one another. Daryl frowned and couldn't help but wonder what that was all about. No one else seemed to notice the exchange.

Well, one other person seemed to be just as observant as him. Sophia shot him a questioning look but he just shrugged.

They all gathered up everything and waited while Jenner pushed in a code in a keypad by the door. It opened slowly. There were only a few Walkers meandering around all the rotted corpses that littered the ground. Milton looked like he was ready to bolt back inside but Andrea and Amy were there, taking his arm and moving him forwards. He hadn't been outside since the whole thing started. He had never even saw a Walker up close and personal and the man was obviously terrified.

Daryl kept Sophia and Carol close. When they finally made it to their vehicles they used Daryl and T-dogs trucks to store everything. T-dog had more room because of Merle's bike.

"Can I ride in the R.V.?" Sophia asked.

Carol looked at Daryl and raised an eyebrow. He didn't know why she always turned to him. He wished she hadn't now because he really didn't want the girl out of his sights. He wanted to keep them both close. He didn't know why. There was just something that wasn't sitting right with him today for some reason.

"What the hell's wrong with my truck?" He asked.

She shrugged. "You guys kept me awake most of the night with all your whispering. I figured I could catch up on some sleep while we drive."

Daryl couldn't really argue. Much. "You're the one that stole the damn couch from me. You coulda slept just fine in the bed with your momma but you had to be a brat and not listen to anything I said."

Sophia frowned. "Is that a no?"

Daryl blew out a frustrated breath. "I ain't your boss. It ain't like you ever do what I say anyways." He looked at Carol and she was watching them with a grin. He hoped that she told her no but it really didn't make much sense too.

"Let me go ask Dale and then I guess, if you didn't sleep much, you can ride with them."

Daryl watched them walk away, feeling like he should stop them. He should just tell Sophia no. It seemed like he had at least a little authority over the kid. Carol seemed to look to him any time she asked anything. She trusted his judgment but then again he didn't want Sophia to think that he was trying to jump into the daddy role and boss her around.

And there Dale was, nodding and smiling like an idiot. He groaned as he watched Sophia, and then Carl, climb into the camper. Carol turned towards him and shrugged. He just nodded. She stopped to talk to Andrea for a few more moments and then finally they were in the truck. He didn't want to be near this place when it lit up. He did feel bad about Jenner but he didn't feel as bad as Carol did. To him it was just Jenner copping out and that was his choice. But Carol felt things more deeply than he did. It was one of the things he loved about her.

He waited for Rick to go around him before he pulled out and as soon as he put his foot on the gas she scooted over until there was no space at all between them. And that was fine by him.

"You really didn't want to let her ride with Dale, did you?" She asked after he pulled out behind Rick.

He just shrugged. "It ain't my call what the kid does."

"You didn't answer the question." She said quietly.

"I don't know. I guess I like to have you both close. Just in case. She was too damn far away that last night at camp." he glanced up in the mirror and saw the R.V. "I don't want something like that happening again."

They were quiet for a while and then they hit the highway and headed west. There were quite a few cars scattered around but Rick kept going. Daryl glanced down nervously at his gas hand. He was damn near out of gas and he knew the others had to be too.

"What the hell is Rick doin'?"

She glanced up. "What's wrong?"

"The dumb ass ain't stoppin' at these cars and we're bout out of gas." He grumbled.

"Maybe Lori and him are distracted." She said and he could hear the bitter edge to her voice.

He glanced over at her and put a hand on her thigh. "What's that all about?" He asked.

"She just gets to me sometimes. The way she looks down on everyone and we all know what she was doing while Rick was gone."

Daryl shrugged. "I don't much like her but she did think he was dead."

"Daryl, that's crap. She thought he was dead for what? A few days before it became obvious she was sleeping with Shane. And Shane was suppose to be his best friend? And I don't think they've stopped either. It doesn't seem like it anyway."

"Well, I guess it is bad. But that's their problem. Don't be getting us into it. They'll sort that shit out on their own."

She fumed. "It just isn't right. Rick's a good man. Someone lucky enough to find a good man their first go round should appreciate them more. If something ever happened to you there's no way I would run off with another man in a week. I wouldn't be able to be with another man ever. She's just..."

"A whore?" He volunteered with a smirk. He found her hand on the seat and twined his fingers through hers. "And we ain't even been together yet." He laughed.

She laughed with him. "Shut up. You know what I mean. Besides, we've had a lot of practice."

"Have we?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Through our clothes." She laughed again.

He just shook his head. "Yeah. That shit is getting real old too."

They continued on for a while in silence while Daryl ran his thumb absently across Carol's wrist.

"What the fuck?" Daryl mumbled as he squinted through the windshield.

"What?" Carol sat up straighter and peered out. "Oh no."

There were cars blocking the road. The whole side of the road was blocked by the abandoned vehicles. Daryl looked up in the mirror and saw Dale right on his ass. He hit the breaks as soon as he saw Rick's break lights and he angrily shoved the truck into park. He scowled through the windshield.

"Mother fuck." He growled.

He felt her hand on the side of his face. He turned his angry eyes on her and then instantly felt some of that anger drain away. "We'll get past it. We just have to get out and find a way around. Besides, there's a lot of cars and we can fill up."

He nodded and let go of her hand. "I don't like bein' out in the open like this."

"Me neither. Can you imagine poor Milton's panic right now?"

He felt the corner of his mouth turn up in a half smile. "Tryin' to keep me from freakin' out?" He asked.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Yep."

He caught her face between his hands and kissed her gently. "Will you stay in the truck?" he asked hopefully.

She kissed him and then pulled back. "Not a chance."

He rolled his eyes. "You two never listen to me."

They got out of the truck and walked towards Rick who was standing there with his hands on his hips looking at the mess in front of them.

"The fuck we suppose to do now?" Daryl asked as he stood next to him.

He had glanced in the window on his way by and saw Lori sitting in the passenger seat looking on like she was in a daze. Carol headed back towards the R.V. To check on the kids. Everyone else was coming their way.

"Looks like you made another good call Rick." Shane called as he approached them. It was obvious that their friendship was growing more and more tense by the day.

"Well, I didn't see you makin' any calls at all." Rick snapped.

"Maybe we shoulda had Dixon call some shots. Maybe the big hero coulda avoided all this mess." Shane smirked.

Daryl glared at him. "Nah, not me, Shane. Seems to me you're the one wantin' to take Ricks spot. You can have it." He flashed a smile as Shane's smirk turned into a scowl.

"Now ain't the time. We gotta figure somethin' out." Rick said as he kept his eyes on the area around them.

"Might as well get some gas cans and siphon some gas while we're figurin' somethin' out." Daryl said as he tore his angry gaze away from Shane. "Maybe have the women start going through some of these cars. Can't have enough supplies anymore."

Rick nodded. "That's a good idea." He shot Shane a hard look and turned around to go to his own vehicle to get some cans, Daryl did the same. He made it a point to walk right by Shane on his way to his truck.

"You think your funny?" Shane asked as Daryl walked by.

"Fuckin' hilarious, dipshit." Daryl grumbled without turning around.


	25. Chapter 25

**Are you guys serious! Bahaha! I swear to you, no lie, everyone I know says cypher! But thank you for letting me know. Good lookin' out, my friends. (blushes at the lifelong typo) So, enough with that. I feel silly XD**

**I'm glad that the last chapter didn't bore you! Thanks for all the reviews. I'm going back now to edit the last chapter ;) *bush***

Chapter Twenty Five

Carol looked up towards the R.V. She had instructed both Sophia and Carl to stay put until she came back. The men were off filling up gas cans and then filling up tanks. Daryl had told her to stay close but she had just scoffed at him and told him that she wasn't any different than the rest of the women and they needed to go through as many cars as they could. The more supplies they could gather up the better. It would start getting cold soon and who knew where they could end up. They could very well find themselves sleeping on the ground some nights and she wanted to make damn sure that she would at least be warm while she did it.

Not only did some of the cars hold things that they could use but most of them also held bodies. It was amazing to her how used to that she was now. When it had all started she was so filled with fear that it was nearly paralyzing. She had barely been able to function. But now it just seemed... normal. She shook her head.

"What are you frowning about over there?" Andrea asked as she looked up from a bag she was rummaging through.

"You know me. Just thinking." She said as she held up a thick sweater. It was a little small but she figured she could pull it off. And it was red so it was a must.

"That would look really great on you." Andrea said as she checked out the sweater.

"You think?" Carol asked.

"I haven't been wrong yet, have I?" She winked when Carol glanced up at her and she couldn't help but laugh.

Both of them dropped their smiles as Lori approached. She had her arms wrapped around herself. "This is pretty sick. It's like a graveyard. Don't you feel bad about taking these people's things?"

Andrea rolled her eyes. "I'd ask them if they minded, but they're dead. We aren't, and soon enough we could be freezing."

Lori just shook her head. "Have you guys seen Carl?" She asked.

Carol looked at her and nodded. "He's in the R.V. I told him and Sophia to stay put until we were done."

Lori just nodded and walked away. Andrea eyed her angrily as she stuffed a few things into the bag she had emptied out earlier. "That woman is really starting to pissed me off."

"That woman has always pissed you off." Carol said with a quick smile but the smile didn't last. She just wanted Lori to leave her alone. The other woman had been breathing down her neck for days. Carol didn't want Shane. She didn't even like the man so she was finding it increasingly annoying that Lori actually felt threatened by her. Carol never made it a point to get involved with other people's business. She had kept to herself as much as she could back at camp. She endured her beatings in relative silence so as not to draw attention from the others. So, knowing all of this, why did Shane have to act the way he did? Especially when she had never once gave him any indication that he had a chance in hell with her? And then why did Lori have to act like it was her that was encouraging his advances? She rolled her eyes and moved on with Andrea to another car in silence.

"Stop it, Carol." Andrea said as she looked up.

Carol shoved some clothes for Sophia into her bag. "Stop what?"

"Stop with the brooding. You almost look like Daryl Dixon right now." Andrea said.

Carol Scoffed. "Daryl isn't brooding." her eyes shot up and then they both laughed quietly.

Carol nearly cried out when she felt rough hands grip her shoulders from behind. She spun around and glared when she saw who it was.

Shane didn't give her a chance to say anything. Andrea was coming around the car, looking like she was going to take Shane's head off. "Get under the car!" He hissed.

"What are you doing?" Andrea said as she finally reached them.

He looked up quickly like he hadn't realized Andrea was even there. "Walkers! Get under the goddamn car, now."

Carol and Andrea didn't waste any time. They both dropped to the ground and rolled under the car they had just been going through. They looked at one another and then Andrea found her hand.

"Sophia!" Carol hissed. She tried to squirm back out from under the car but Andrea was nearly on top of her in the small space.

"You wont be any good to her or anyone else if you do anything stu..." Andrea clamped her mouth shut when she looked past Carol and saw feet shambling past the car.

Carol whipped her head around and moved herself closer to Andrea. There were a lot. She watched in horror as one walked by with a broken foot. It was actually stumbling around on it's ankle bone. She was trapped. Trapped under a car while her daughter was yards away and Daryl was God only knew where. She should have listened to him. He had wanted to keep them both close and she hadn't listened to him. If one of those things got into the R.V...

Andrea must have known what she was thinking because she stroked the back of her head. "She's fine. Everything is fine. We just have to wait this out." She breathed into her ear. "Daryl wont let anything happen to her."

And Carol knew that it was true. But if he wasn't close enough to do anything then her daughter was as good as gone. She thought of all the progress Sophia had made over the last few days. How open and that smile that always seemed to be trying to force it's way onto her face even when she didn't want it too...

~H~

Daryl looked up just as Rick made his way around the truck Daryl was about to siphon some gas from. He had already filled his truck up and he was on his last gas can to fill for extra fuel. The look on Ricks face had him standing up and bringing his crossbow around.

"Daryl, get down." Rick whispered harshly.

"What's goin on, Rick?" Daryl asked, dread filling his gut at the expression on Rick's face.

Rick glanced back and then ducked down next to Daryl. "Walkers. Too many to shoot. We need to get under the truck and wait'em out."

"Fuck that!" Daryl growled as he pushed his way past Rick.

Rick grabbed his arm and Daryl jerked it away. "Daryl, you'll get yourself killed!" He hissed.

Daryl kept moving. He didn't care, he had to find Carol and he had to get to that R.V. If one of those things got in there Sophia was dead. Why in the fuck had they not listened to him? Why didn't he just tell Sophia no when she wanted to ride with Dale in the first place? He cursed himself for being so far away right now. He hadn't seen Carol for a while, she could be anywhere and he had to make a decision. Look for Carol or go straight to the R.V.

When he glanced around the fender of an old GTO, that he would have admired had it been any other day, he saw them coming. And Rick was right. There were too many and they were between him and where he needed to go. He went to the other side and peered around. There wasn't as many, as far as he could tell, on this side of the car so he crouched down and hurried to the next car and waited for a second. When he looked over he cursed under his breath.

T-dog was leaned up against an open car door, bleeding from some wound on his arm. The Walkers were close but they hadn't made it this far yet so he didn't think the man had been bitten. He ran in a half crouch and T-dog looked up.

"Get outta here, man." T-dog wheezed.

"Shut up." Daryl snapped as he glanced around frantically.

They were getting closer. He could hear them now. He cursed under his breath and pulled T-dog away from the car and laid him down. But he wasn't fast enough. The first Walker came around the side of the car and must have smelled the blood from T-dogs arm because the ugly bastard sniffed the air and then came right for the man. Daryl had already ducked behind another car as T-dog watched him. The other man looked on in horror as the Walker advanced and then his eyes met Daryl's. Daryl put his finger to his lips and he slipped from behind the car. He drove his knife blade into the back of the Walkers skull and then slammed it on top of T-dog. He pulled over another body and covered him up the rest of the way just as another Walker came towards him, another one right on it's heels.

He drove his knife into the eye socket of the closest one and then fell backwards with the corpse on top of him. The smell was overwhelming but he kept completely still and waited as more and more Walkers stumbled around them. They lingered near them longer because the smell of T-dogs blood was still there and it was confusing them. There was nothing else to do for the other man besides hope like hell this worked and the Walkers would just keep going.

He rolled his eyes around so he could get a glimpse of T-dog. He was lying still. Too still. Daryl couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't bleeding out. He had to admit that he hoped he wasn't. He hadn't talked to T-dog much before Merle was gone. Merle had beat it into his head from an early age that people like him and Daryl didn't associate with the likes of T-dog. And as usual Daryl had listened to his brother. But it wasn't like that now. T-dog was an okay guy. He was funny. Daryl trusted the man to have his back, and Daryl didn't trust too many people. He was Daryl's friend.

He waited and waited for the Walkers to go by. He needed to find Carol, needed to get to Sophia. He thought for just a second that she could be dead. That she didn't see them in time and they could have gotten her. And then his mind blocked that thought. She was fine. She was strong and she would be just fine. He was sweating under the corpse. He needed to go. Now.

Eventually they did stop. He stayed where he was for just a few more minutes just in case and then he tossed the body off of him and jumped to his feet. He went to T-dog first and felt for a pulse but didn't move the Walker that was covering him. His heart was still beating and that was as much as Daryl could hope for. He took off again towards the R.V.

Shane came around the side of a van and collided with him. He actually reached out a hand to steady Daryl which was pretty surprising.

"You made it." Shane breathed and he didn't seem overly displeased by the idea that Daryl hadn't turned into Walker lunch.

"You seen Carol? Is she okay?" Daryl asked hurriedly.

Shane gave him a quick nod. "I got to her before the Walkers did. Her and Andrea were under a car when I took off to find the others that were further down."

Daryl let out a heavy breath, gave Shane a quick nod of his own and then Daryl ran like hell towards the R.V. When he reached it he stopped in his tracks. The door was hanging open.

"No no no no no..." He chanted under his breath as he sprinted to the door. There was a smear of dark blood on the outside near the handle. He hesitated. He didn't want to go in there. This would be worse than finding Merle's hand. This would be worse than coming home to find his momma burned alive. This would be worse than watching Merle kill Buck Dixon, his own pa. He couldn't go in there. He couldn't find that little girl dead. Worse than dead. Mutilated. He couldn't do it. He leaned heavily into the side of the R.V.

He had to make himself do it. He couldn't wait around for Carol to do it herself. He pushed himself away from the side of the camper and then paced in front of the door for a few seconds before he rushed up the two steps. There, in the short hallway that separated the kitchen area from the small bedroom, was a Walker. A dead Walker, with a screw driver still sticking out of it's eye socket. He nearly jumped over it and into the bedroom. Empty. He dragged the corpse over and then pushed the door to the bathroom open and found it empty as well.

He was filled with relief so powerful it nearly brought him to his knees. But then he had to face the cold facts. If the kids had managed to kill this Walker and get out, with as many Walkers were outside the camper, there wasn't much of a chance that they would have made it to a safe place before they were taken down. What he needed to do now was go back outside to the road and look for her corpse out there.

He heard a gasp coming from the front of the R.V. He knew who it was before he even turned his head. Carol was there, her hand covering her mouth, her eyes as wide as saucers, staring right at him.

"No..." She whispered.

That one word held the pain of the world in it and he let his back slide down the wall until he was sitting on the floor only a few feet away from the Walker. That one word slashed through him like a knife. This was what he had been so afraid of. This was what he knew he wouldn't be able to stop from happening. Except his failure had only cost one of them their life, and the other one? Well, this would probably cost her her sanity at least. He'd managed to lose everything in a matter of seconds.

"Daryl?" She sounded like a child herself as his name slipped out of her in a broken sob that was just another slash for him.

His chest ached with the weight of her pain. His pain. Why didn't he listen to Shane? The man was right. He wasn't able to keep them safe. Why hadn't he pushed her away? Pushed her to give Shane a shot instead of wanting it all for himself?

He pushed himself up off the floor and walked towards her. Andrea showed up then and stopped in her tracks, her eyes already growing wet. He didn't say anything. He walked right past them both and hurried down the steps. He needed to get away from her. He thought about taking the bike off the truck and leaving now. He couldn't stay with this group and look her in the eye every day. Not after this.

He didn't go to his truck. He needed to find her body first. He almost gagged as he remembered what she had said to Milton last night about the bruises around her neck. They had been a parting gift. So Ed gave bruises. He was about to give her her daughters dead body. Carol could sure pick her men.

He pushed himself through the crowd that was gathering around the camper. He didn't even see their faces as he passed but he did hear Lori cry out as she made her way over. He just kept his head down and walked.

His eyes scanned the ground but there wouldn't be any trail to follow. Nothing as easy as that. There was nothing around the camper itself. This made a spark of hope ignite in him and he tried to smother it. He didn't need to hope right now. He just wanted to get this over with so he could leave. Any hope that made it's way into his heart would just make it worse.

He walked on a little further, the voices of the group growing more and more faint and then something caught his eye. Something not on the road but down the hill about halfway. He jumped over the guard rail and ran towards the object.

There on the ground was a pink sweater. The same sweater he had watched Carol tie around the girls waist before they left out earlier. She had made it off the road and headed straight for the woods. The tracks were easy to spot. She wasn't alone. Carl had made it with her and from the looks of it at least three Walkers had came after them. But there was a chance, a goddamn good chance, that she was okay. He just had to track her down.

He turned back towards the road and ran, clutching the sweater in his hand.


	26. Chapter 26

**This is a bit angsty, my friends. So, with that said, be gentile with me... Thank you for your reviews! And not just that but everyone who has followed or favorited too! You are loved too =) Oh, and Axelrocks... I adore you ;)**

Chapter Twenty Six

Daryl did a head count as he hurried back towards the group. It looked like everyone had made it through okay. The only one missing was T-dog. He had forgotten to mention the man earlier. He told Dale and Glen where he was and then he spotted Carol. She was there with Andrea and Amy. She had her face pressed into Andrea's shoulder. All the women were crying.

"She ain't dead. Neither one of'em are yet." He said in a gruff voice.

She turned her head away from Andrea's shoulder and looked up at him in confusion. He wouldn't meet her eyes but he shoved the sweater towards her. He wanted to reach out and touch her. Every cell in his body was telling him to pull her close and not let her go. But he wasn't going to do that. Not again. It would probably kill him but he was done. He had to stay away from her. He would find Sophia and bring her back but then he had to leave. He couldn't be responsible for these people. He didn't want to care.

She reached out and took the sweater from him and looked up questioningly. "Where?" She asked whispered.

"She got out of the camper, headed towards the woods." He left out the part about Walkers on her trail.

"And Carl?" Rick choked out.

Daryl nodded. "He's with her and the trail is pretty clear. I'll bring'em back."

"I'm goin' with you." Rick said as he turned to Lori. "You stay here in case he comes back. I want you all armed, okay?"

Everyone nodded solemnly.

"I'm goin' too. We don't know what's out there." Shane said suddenly.

Daryl just nodded and turned around. The other two men followed him to where the trail started.

~H~

Carol watched them walk away as she clutched Sophia's sweater to her chest and focused on breathing. She wasn't dead. Sophia was going to be okay because Daryl was going to find her. Daryl. There was something very wrong there but she really couldn't focus on that right now. But it scared her. The way he walked right past her in the camper and the way he had shoved Sophia's sweater into her hands and wouldn't look at her.

She glanced past Andrea, who still had her arms around her, and saw Lori standing alone off to herself. She instantly felt bad. Here she was, surrounded by her friends, getting the comfort she needed, even if it wasn't from the man she wanted it from, and Lori was there alone. Carl was out there just like Sophia and Lori was dealing with that all alone. She pulled away from Andrea.

Lori was staring off past the cars, her eyes wide and vacant looking. Carol approached her slowly.

"Lori?" She asked quietly.

Lori looked over at her and then away again. "What do you want, Carol?" She whispered.

Carol wasn't sure how to respond. Lori hadn't sounded angry but she didn't sound friendly either. "I just wanted to see if you were alright."

Lori laughed but it was a humorless sound. "Really? Isn't that kind of you."

Carol just stared at her. All she wanted to do was make sure the other woman was okay and now she was going to act this way? She didn't say anything else. She simply turned and walked away. She had tried and that was all she could do. There was nothing else to say to her.

Andrea and Amy were both leaning against the back of a car. Waiting for her to return. "How did it go?" Andrea asked knowingly.

Carol just shook her head. "She's just scared." She said but she knew her excuse for the other woman's behavior was falling on deaf ears. There was nothing she could ever say to change Andrea's mind about Lori.

Milton was standing with them now and he looked at Carol with frightened eyes. "Carol, I'm so sorry this happened. And after what I said to you last night. I just want you to know that I didn't mean that. Your man will find Sophia."

Carol just gave him a small smile and nodded. "If anyone can find her it will be him. And this isn't your fault, Milton. Even if you meant every word you said to me. How are you holding up?"

He looked around. "I think I'm okay. Shane shoved me under a car and I just kept reminding myself to stay still. I guess you could say he saved my life."

Andrea and Carol shared a look. He was the one that had done the same thing for them. Maybe he wasn't as bad as everyone thought he was. And then Carol remembered how he had acted in her room. No matter what he did today, what he had done last night was still bad. And she still wanted to stay away from him.

"That's what we have to do." Andrea smiled. "We're all pretty much family now. We have to look out for one another."

He nodded but kept glancing around anxiously.

~H~

He lost the trail. He felt like screaming but he kept his mouth shut and his eyes sharp. They had ran into a creek, literally. Their prints disappeared into the water and didn't reappear on the other side of the bank. They needed to follow the creek but he had no way of knowing which way they had went. But he was grateful that he knew they had made it this far. The Walkers had followed them this far too though and he thought that wasn't such a bad thing at this point. Where the kids could step over and around the stones in the water the Walkers would have most likely done a lot of falling down. Unless of course one of the kids fell and ended up hurt. But he shook that thought off. They were together and although Sophia had threatened to break the boys nose for him, they would still look out for one another.

"Where too from here?" Shane asked as he looked up and down the creek bed.

Daryl thought back to the first time he ever found himself lost in the woods. He had been younger than Sophia then. They went downstream. Stayed to the water so we need to do the same. They wont stay there forever. Eventually their trail is gonna end up on the bank."

Rick and Shane nodded and then, without hesitation, they all three walked right into the creek. The current was a little stronger than Daryl had thought it would be but considering the rain they had gotten the other day it shouldn't have surprised him.

They followed the winding creek for a while and then Daryl spotted some tracks on the bank opposite from where they had entered. He stopped and frowned, trying to see them better.

"What's wrong?" Rick asked.

Daryl didn't answer him, just motioned for them to follow. When he came up on the tracks they didn't belong to the kids. They were adults. Four men from what he could tell and they were wearing boots. These tracks were also older. Maybe a day or more. And they didn't belong to Walkers.

"There's someone else in these woods. "Daryl said as he peered back down the creek."

"What?" Shane asked harshly.

Daryl pointed down. "Four men. But these are older. I don't think they would have crossed paths with Sophia or Carl."

Rick and Shane shared a worried look. "I sure hope the hell not." Shane said as he looked in the direction that Daryl was looking. "Should we keep going?"

"Fuck yeah we keep goin'. It's Sophia. I ain't stoppin' till I find her. You wanna go back then go. I don't need you here." he said harshly as he continued on down the creek.

They followed him, even Shane.

~H~

"Dale?" Carol called as she walked toward the older man who was tinkering with the R.V.'s motor. He always seemed to be tinkering with something.

He turned around and gave her a smile. "You need something?" He asked.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you could tell me how long they've been gone. I don't have a watch or anything and it seems like it's taking forever. I'm thinking about seeing if Andrea will go with me to look for them."

Dale glanced down at his watch and looked back up. "A few hours, maybe a little more. But I don't think it's a good idea to go look for them. We all need to stay together." He looked worriedly towards Andrea and Amy. "No one knows the woods like Daryl does. They're fine as long as they're with him. And you know he's fine."

Carol nodded. She was going to lose her mind if she couldn't find something to do before he came back. She thought he would find Sophia but she was worried for him too. Daryl was the type of man that would kill himself trying. She just had to pray that they were both okay because the thought of going on without them both wasn't something she could even comprehend right now.

Seeing him standing there in the hallway of the camper with that devastated look on his face was something she would never get out of her head. And she had believed then that he had found her dead.

She started pacing back and forth. For every minute that passed the dread in her stomach worsened and the hope he had given her as he handed her the sweater was faded. He would have found her by now. It had been too long. Or maybe all three of them had gotten hurt somehow.

~H~

Daryl, Rick and Shane followed the creek for a long time before Shane finally spoke up. "We should have found something by now." He said anxiously.

Daryl shot him a withering look. "Maybe you should go back. Go tell them that I'm still lookin' for the trail."

"You don't wanna come back? What about Carol, man?" Shane gave him a look that Daryl wanted to knock right off his face.

"I'm out here tryin' to find her daughter. Go on back and let them know me and Rick's alright. Just keep your eyes open. We ain't the only things out here lookin'. Don't need nobody getting' bit."

Shane stopped and looked from Rick back to Daryl. "You want me to tell her anything else?"

Daryl shook his head. "I ain't got nothin' else to say."

Shane just eyed him for a minute and then turned around to head back the way they had came.

"Hey Shane." Daryl called. He had to take a deep breath to continue on. "You was right. I'm out. She's gonna need somebody, you know. After all this. She's gonna need somebody right now. You think you can do that without fuckin' up as bad as I have?"

Shane put his hands on his hips and frowned. "Daryl, man. Ain't none of this your fault. I hate you enough to wish it was. But I ain't steppin' on your toes anymore. She made a choice. I wasn't it."

Daryl couldn't believe he was hearing this shit out of this man's mouth. Shane had been messing with him for days over Carol. "Yeah? Well, I made my own choice. I ain't stayin' around. No sense in actin' like I am. I don't fuckin' need you people. All you do is slow my ass down anyway. Give me more shit to worry about. Ya'll ain't my kin. Rick pretty much killed the only family I had left. Shoulda took off a long fuckin' time ago." he turned then, not wanting to hear anything else Shane had to say. He trudged on through the water.

He knew he was right. He wished it wasn't like that, but it was. The last few days had been the best in his life but he should have known that it would all turn around to bite him in the ass. She would be better off without him there. She would be better off with someone that could keep her and Sophia safe. He wasn't that man. He never had been. He wasn't nothing but Merle Dixon's little brother.

He just had to find Sophia and then he could go. Forget about them both. Maybe he'd even find his brother. And he wouldn't have to worry about anybody but himself.

But God, he was going to miss her. When he thought about going on without her everything just seemed a lot more bleak. Darker. Maybe Jenner was onto something back there at the CDC. All hope seemed to be gone. He couldn't get the image of her face out of his head. The way she had looked at him last night. Everything they had said. He felt a lump form in his throat at the idea of never hearing her say that to him again.

That was the last thought that went through his mind before a shot rang out and he was thrown backwards. He felt himself hit the water. Felt a cold stinging in his side. And then he felt nothing as blackness wrapped around him like a shroud.


	27. Chapter 27

**Okay, it's time to add some POV from a few other characters. Since Daryl is down for the count our lovely friend Rick gets to take his place for a while. And no I'm not spoiling anything for you all. You know me well enough, I would hope, to know that Daryl Dixon isn't going to get taken out by a bit of buckshot. =) Read on, friends. It gets better, I promise ;) And be gentile with me! I have never written Rick before. Not sure how well this is going to turn out but I'll do my best, I swear! And I know I'm making Lori much worse than she was in the show but I can't help it. I just don't like her!**

Chapter Twenty Seven

"Daryl!" Rick yelled as he splashed through the water and grabbed the unconscious man by the shirt. He kept a grip on Daryl's shirt to make sure he kept his head above water and then turned in the direction that Shane had gone. Shane was running towards them, stumbling through the deeper parts.

"Rick! What the hell happened?" Shane asked as he helped Rick drag Daryl to the bank.

Both of their heads shot up when they heard someone running towards them through the creek. It was just a kid. He looked to be about sixteen but that didn't stop Rick from pulling the python from his holster and aiming it right at the boys head. The kid was armed and it was pretty obvious at this point that he was the one that had shot Daryl.

"Oh my God, is he dead? Did I kill him?" The boy said, fear clear in his voice as his eyes looked past the gun that was aimed at him. He held his own gun to his side and then he looked down at it like it was some foreign object that he hadn't realized he was even still holding.

Shane ripped open Daryl's shirt, popping the buttons off in the process. The wound was bad and bleeding freely. Shane ripped off his own shirt and pressed it against him to stop some of the bleeding.

"We have to get him to the road. Milton can fix him up." Rick said dully. All he really wanted to do was find his son but he couldn't do that without Daryl and he wasn't about to let the man bleed to death even if he hadn't needed him.

Shane shook his head. "It's too far, man. He'll bleed out before we get him there. And after that shot, every Walker within two miles is probably on it's way."

Rick glared at his best friend. Or the man that used to be his best friend. Things weren't the same anymore. Not since he found them at camp. "What do you suggest then?" He snapped.

Shane withdrew his own gun and put it to Daryl's temple. Rick grabbed the gun from him and stared him down.

Shane shook his head. "You gonna let him die out here and then turn?" He laughed bitterly.

"Hershel!" The boy finally said after he found his voice again.

Rick didn't hand Shane his gun back but he gave him a disgusted look before he looked back up at the boy. "What?" He growled.

"We can get him to Hershel and he can fix him up. As long as he's still alive. He's still alive, right?" The boy rambled.

"Help me get him up." Rick said to Shane. "What's your name, kid?" He asked the boy as he came to help with Daryl, who was nothing but dead weight at this point.

"Jimmy. My names Jimmy. And I was shooting at a dear. I didn't mean to shoot your friend. I'd never shoot someone."

Shane looked up. "Well, Jimmy. You ain't seen a couple kids around here have you? About twelve years old? A boy and a girl?"

Jimmy just shook his head as the three of them struggled to get Daryl to this mysterious Hershel.

"Is Hershel a doctor?" Rick asked.

Jimmy looked up, his eyes wide and afraid. "Kind of," was the only answer he gave him.

~H~

"Don't tell me to calm down." Carol snapped. "That was a shot."

Glen held his hands up and stepped away from Carol but Andrea was there to take his place. "Carol, we don't know what happened yet. We just have to wait, okay. We don't have a choice. You know that we can't track them down. If I thought we had a chance to find them I would be the first person to go with you." She gripped Carol by the shoulders and then wiped a tear off her face with her thumb.

"What if they're both gone?" Carol breathed, searching Andrea's pale eyes for a little hope.

Andrea just shook her head and pulled her into an embrace like she had done a thousand times in the last few hours. "Daryl is going to find Sophia and they are both going to be fine, okay? You can't think that it will happen any other way."

Lori was standing next to Dale and looking off towards the woods with her arms crossed over her chest. "Rick and Shane should have known better than to go off with that man." She shook her head. "All he's going to do is get them all killed."

Carol felt Andrea's arms tighten around her.

"What did you just say?" Carol hissed as she pushed Andrea away and closed the distance between her and Lori with just a few strides.

"You heard what I said. Daryl Dixon? He's no different than his brother. That gun shot we just heard was probably him killing Shane or Rick for fun."

"Lori, shut your mouth." Carol said so quietly that Lori was the only one that could have heard her.

"Why? Because the truth hurts? You can sure pick them, Carol."

Carol felt her hands shaking with anger. "The truth?" She spat. "The truth is, maybe if you acted like a mother instead of a hormonal teenaged girl then Daryl wouldn't be out there right now trying to find our kids. While Andrea and I were looking for supplies you were standing around doing nothing as usual. You could have been with your son but instead you were out here hoping someone else was keeping an eye on him. If a Walker dropped dead every time you had to ask someone else where your son was then we wouldn't be here right now!" Carol was actually yelling in her face.

Lori's eyes narrowed and before Carol seen it coming she slapped her across the face. It wasn't much. Carol had received way worse than that over the years and she wasn't even going to fight back. Lori was just as scared as she was and this was how Lori dealt with everything. She lashed out at other people and pointed fingers. So Carol took a step back. Not even touching the stinging spot on her cheek. But Andrea wasn't so quick to let it go.

She stepped in front of Carol and shoved Lori into the side of the camper. "Don't you touch her again." She growled.

Lori's eyes grew wide. "Get your hands off me." She jerked away from Andrea.

"Why don't you just admit that the reason you're pissed isn't because of any thing Daryl's done. Your pissed because your husband and your boyfriend are both out there."

Lori glanced around angrily.

Andrea laughed. "Don't worry." She put her hands on her hips. "Everyone in this group knows what you were doing while your husband was away. And from the way you have been acting I don't even think you've stopped."

"Andrea," Carol said quietly as she tugged her away from a very pissed off Lori. She didn't get her away in time. Andrea back handed Lori across the face much harder than Lori had slapped her.

"Okay, that's enough!" Glen stepped between them. "You guys are acting like a bunch of kids."

Dale, who had actually been standing next to Lori, looked as though he were in shock. He hadn't made a move to try to stop the cat fight. But no one else had to say anything. Andrea stormed off to the Camper while Lori stormed off to her and Ricks car, Leaving Carol standing there with Glen, Dale, Amy and Milton.

"Well that was interesting." Milton said after a long awkward pause.

Carol would have laughed any other time but she couldn't help but keep her eyes on the woods. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that she couldn't shake. She thought maybe that this was payback. For days now she had been so unbelievably happy. Happier than she ever thought she would be in her whole life. And her daughter was happy. Everyday she had woken up excited. Wondering what was next. And in a world like this, that wasn't how they were suppose to be. So this was her pay back. She was going to pay dearly for that happiness. She was going to lose everything.

She watched Milton climb into the camper, most likely to check on T-dog who was knocked out cold with pain killers. Milton had given him antibiotics in case of infection. The gash in his arm was very ugly so Milton had wanted to take precaussions.

~H~

"Mother fucker! What the fuck are you tryna do you crazy asshole! You tryna fuckin' kill me!" Daryl yelled as Rick tried to hold him down on the table while Hershel tried to dig the buckshot out of his stomach. "Rick, man, do somethin'!"

Rick swiped the sweat out of Daryl's eyes. He was delirious from the pain and it seemed as though when he had fallen backwards he had hit his head pretty hard and they hadn't even noticed.

"Your friend here has a colorful vocabulary." The old man said calmly as he pushed the hemostats into a hole in Daryl's side.

Rick shot the man an apologetic look. "Yeah, that's just Daryl. Colorful as they come."

"Rick. Tell that son of a bitch to get off me." Daryl said in a voice that sounded like he was about to loose consciousness again. He reached up and grabbed Ricks hand. "Rick, go find Carol, okay. She's fuckin' scared Rick. You'll go get her for me, right? Don't let that son of a bitch Shane go, okay? It's gotta be you."

Rick just nodded to him. "She's on her way, Daryl."

"You're alright for a cop. I didn't like you much before but you ain't..." His eyes rolled back into his head as Hershel dug deeper into the hole.

"Hershel!" Rick looked at the old man that was still calmly digging into Daryl's flesh.

"He just passed out from the pain." He said in a soft voice. "I'm kind of glad. I may need a shower after listening to his mouth."

Rick had sent Shane out about fifteen minutes ago to get the others. Hershel had even let him use a truck. He was scared out of his mind for his son but he had to keep a level head for the group. He couldn't afford to break down. Shane would see that and jump on any chance he could to hold any weakness against him.

Rick didn't know when it all could have went so bad. Shane had been Ricks best friend. Here lately he was happier to see Daryl Dixon than he was Shane. He wondered if Shane would have really shot Daryl. Then he shook his head. Surely not. He didn't really know what was going on between the two of them and Carol but he knew his friend. Didn't he?"

~H~

Carol and the others heard the truck coming before they saw it's headlights. It was getting darker now. Carol had already gotten sick on the side of the road. There wasn't much to come up. Neither her or Daryl had eaten the food Jenner had sent them and it was surely bad by now.

Glen, who had had a rifle strapped to his back for most of the day, was now aiming it at the oncoming vehicle. Carol reached into her waistband and pulled out her own gun. Andrea already had hers. They hadn't really ran into anyone else since they had been holed up in there camp but chances were not something that they were willing to take right now. Even Dale had his own rifle at the ready.

The truck skidded to a stop and someone jumped out. Everyone lowered their weapons when they saw Shane.

He ran straight towards Carol which caused her to want to bolt from him. This couldn't be good. This couldn't be good at all and as long as he didn't say anything to her then there was still hope in her heart but as soon as he opened his mouth her world was shattered. She was backing away from him and shaking her head. He looked concerned. He reached out a hand but she dodged him, still shaking her head back and forth.

"Carol, you need to come with me." he said as he held his hands up in a defensive gesture.

She felt the tears slide down her face and he really did look like he wanted to help her. But no one could help her. Not anymore. She envied Jenner right now.

"Daryl's been shot." Shane said and then Carol felt her knees go weak.

Andrea grabbed her around the waist. "What? How?" She asked.

"Some kid out huntin'. It was an accident but we took him to a farm and there's a man there that's tryin' to work on him." Shane said calmly.

"What about Sophia and Carl? Have you guys found them?" Amy asked from Glen's side.

Shane shook his head. "We lost their trail. Daryl was shot before we could pick it back up."

"So my daughter is still out there somewhere. And Daryl has been shot? Is that his blood?" Carol felt herself going numb. She was numb to Andrea's arms around her and she was numb to the pain that she knew was trying to penetrate her.

Shane looked down at the blood soaked front of his shirt. He didn't say anything. He only nodded.

"Where was he shot?" Milton asked suddenly.

"He took buckshot to the midsection. Most of it got him in the side but his stomach took a bit too." He said to Milton. Milton hurried off towards T-dogs truck. "Carol, I'm sorry. He wants you. He's done cussed everybody up and down."

"But if Sophia..."

"I'll stay. If her and Carl come back I'll be right here waiting for her." Andrea said softly. "He needs you right now."

"I think he's gonna need Milton, Carol so we need you to decide right now." Shane said in a kind voice.

She hugged Andrea tightly and then walked towards Shane. She was still feeling numb. Lost. She even let him put his arm around her.

"Where the hell is Rick?" Lori asked as she got out of her car where she had spent the rest of the afternoon avoiding everyone. "Did you find Carl?"

"Come with us. The others are gonna stay and wait for the kids in case they come back." Shane said.

Milton rode in the back of the truck while Carol, Lori and Shane sat up front. None of them spoke until Carol broke the silence. "Is he going to die?" She asked. "Am I going to lose them both?"

Shane looked at her and there was something in his eyes that she couldn't read. Or she just didn't want to. "I don't know, Carol." He said quietly. "We have Milton. He has medical supplies and trainin'. He has medicine. I think he'll pull through."

Carol simply nodded. "And Sophia and Carl?"

Shane didn't take his eyes off the road this time. "We're gonna try to find them."

He turned down a driveway that didn't seem to have an end. They eventually pulled up to a huge white farmhouse and Carol didn't waste any time. She ran up the steps and was greeted by a beautiful young woman with chestnut hair and a kind smile.

"I sure hope you're Carol." She said.

Carol nodded.

"I'm Maggie. He's been askin' about you a lot. Well, between cussin' all of us out and threatenin' everybody."

"I'm sorry." Carol said as Maggie led her through the house to a room towards the back. Carol turned and hadn't realized that Milton was right behind her.

"It's fine. Daddy sent my little sister upstairs though. She's sixteen but he still ain't to keen on her hearin' some of the stuff comin' outta his mouth."

She led her to what looked like a bedroom but the light inside was very bright. There was an old man with his back to her, sitting in a straight backed chair bent over a pale form on the bed. Rick was on the other side, leaning over the body to keep it still.

"He must have passed out again." Maggie said quietly.

Rick looked up and the relief on his face was clear. He glanced down at Daryl and then, when he was sure he was out cold, he stood up and hurried towards her. He hugged her tightly and she hugged him back. "Thank God. You wouldn't believe some of the things he's called that man."

Carol would have laughed but nothing was very funny at the moment.

"Is Lori here?" He asked as he glanced back at Daryl.

Carol nodded but she kept her eyes on Daryl's white face. His eyes were closed but his face was facing her. She never seen him look so fragile. He was always so strong. He was fearless. He was always so full of life. Seeing him now, like this made her heart break. She felt another tear slip down her face. How many more times would she have cry before she stopped hurting. It seemed like that was all she had ever done.

Milton was talking to the old man in the chair and peered down at what must have been Daryl's bullet wound. She felt like she was going to be sick again.

"I'm gonna go fix you folks a bite to eat, okay? If you need anything just let me know. Patricia is around here somewhere but I think he scared her off."

"Thank you." Carol whispered as she walked up to him. She took Ricks place and put her hands on the bed and looked down at his face. She didn't want to see the blood that she knew was there. Enough for her to even smell.

"You must be Carol." The older man said gently.

Carol looked at him and nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Boy, am I glad to see you." He said with a shake of his head.


	28. Chapter 28

**Oh the woes of new love ;) This was a fun chapter to write. Thank you all for the reviews. I never thought anyone would like this story as much as me! Haha. I hope you enjoy this chapter! And have a happy Easter!**

Chapter Twenty Eight

Carol sat in a chair that Maggie had brought in for her earlier while Hershel and Milton worked on Daryl. Milton looked completely at ease now. Like he was at home. They had injected Daryl with some liquid painkiller that Milton swore would ease a lot of the pain he was in. She learned that Hershel was actually a vet. But he seemed very competent. Hershel said that it was miracle that none of the pellets had severed any major veins.

She mostly kept her eyes either on his face or on her own hands that she kept clasped on the bed. When Milton or Hershel spoke to her she looked them in the eye and didn't look down at the blood.

"I must say, you two must be the oddest couple I've ever seen." Hershel said quietly.

Carol tried to smile. She wasn't quite sure if it worked though.

"You know, he's out of danger now. You don't have to look so worried." He said with a small smile.

"Her daughter is missing. That's what Daryl was doing when he was shot. There was a trail he was following." Milton said quietly so Carol wouldn't have to.

Hershel held her eyes for a moment and then looked away. "I see." He said quietly. "Rick said that there were children missing. One is his son?"

Carol nodded and then her eyes flew to Daryl's face when he groaned. His eyes were open now and he was looking around the room. He was tense and she was worried that she would have to try to hold him down like Rick had done earlier but when his eyes found hers he relaxed.

"The fuck happened to me?" he asked groggily. He raised his head a little and looked down at Hershel. "Who the hell are you?"

"You got shot." She said quietly.

"What? Did that asshole Shane actually shoot me?" he was frowning like he was having a hard time focusing.

"No. It was a boy. He was hunting and he shot you on accident." She muttered.

"Why do I feel like I just inhaled a weeks worth of Merle's stash?"

She had to smile a little now. She felt it tugging at the corners of her mouth. He reached up and grazed his thumb across her bottom lip.

"I'm so fuckin' trashed right now." He chuckled slightly and then winced. "Man, if Merle knew he could get this fucked up by bein' shot he'd of probly shot hiself a lot."

Hershel glanced up at him with a disapproving look but Milton seemed to be amused. He shook his head but he smiled. Maybe he was getting used to Daryl now. Or maybe he was just happy to be indoors doing something that was familiar.

Daryl looked at her again and a line formed between his brow. "Why do you look so sad?" He asked as he took her hands in one of his. "Oh, fuck. I'm gonna die, ain't I? That's why ya'll pumped me so full of the good shit. Goddamn it, Carol, I'm sorry. This is just fucked up. We didn't even get a chance to fu..."

She yanked her hands away from his and covered his mouth. "Daryl, you're not gonna die. Jesus, just stop talking." She shot a glance towards Milton and Hershel but both of them were looking away. She could tell by the movement of their shoulders that they were laughing. She removed her hands from his mouth and took his hand in hers again. "You'll be just fine."

He didn't remember what had happened. He didn't know that Sophia and Carl were still missing. She hoped he wouldn't remember for at least a little while. She knew he would fight them all to get up and go out to look for her. And he needed to heal. She may even try to talk Milton into keeping him drugged so maybe he could get better without anyone having to force him.

He reached up and brushed his thumb across her cheekbone. She hadn't noticed the tears but his thumb came away wet. "You sure I ain't gonna die?"

She nodded. "I'm sure. In a few days you'll be good as new."

"Then will you stop lookin' so sad?" he sounded like he was barely holding on. She wished he would sleep.

She smiled at him and nodded but he kept the frown on his face even after his eyes closed.

Milton and Hershel were done shortly after that. Milton was the first to leave the room and when he walked out Hershel turned to her, his eyes kind. "I'll be prayin' for your daughter tonight."

Carol looked up at him in surprise. "Thank you. You're one of the first people I've come across that bothers with prayer anymore." She whispered.

He gave her a smile. "You would think times like these would be the times people turned to it the most."

She glanced down at Daryl's pale face and met Hershel's kind eyes. "Thank you. For saving him."

Hershel nodded. "If you'd like we could set you up in another room. I'll stay close in case he wakes up again."

"No." She said quickly. I'll stay here."

Hershel's eyes sparkled a bit. "Looks like God is answerin' my prayers already." He winked and she felt a small laugh bubble up through the lump in her throat.

When Hershel shut the door behind him Carol kicked off her boots and gently laid herself next to him in the small bed. She wasn't worried about him waking up since he was so drugged.

She thought of her daughter outside in the dark. She thought of how close she had come to losing Daryl. She thought of how fragile this life was now. How fragile they all were regardless of how strong they all seemed. She listened to the slow steady beating of his heart under her ear and finally let herself drift off into sleep, dreaming dreams of lost children and gunshots.

~H~

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was that he was alone. And the second thing he noticed was that he hurt everywhere. His side, his stomach his head. Everything was throbbing. He took his time opening his eyes, leery of what he was going to open them too. His brain felt addled like he was coming off of a really bad drunk.

He tried to remember what was going on but when he tried to focus to hard on one thought it made his head hurt worse. The room was bright. Too bright for him and he blinked a few times until his eyes adjusted. He was in a bedroom. The sun was up and the white lace curtains didn't do much to keep it out of his eyes.

He remembered things in bits and pieces as he looked around the room. He remembered getting stuck on the road. There had been a pile up. He remembered T-dog walking by and calling him a wino as he siphoned gas. He remembered trying to talk Carol into keeping close.

Carol? Where was she? Hell, where was he?

He remember wanting to leave. He was going to leave the group. His mind had already been made up. But why would he do something like that? And then he remembered that he decided to do that because of Sophia.

He sat up in the bed and then hissed as a wicked pain flared up in his side. He had to ignore it, whatever it was. He had to find the kid. There wasn't time to be lying around. It had been close to nightfall when they had been looking for the kids trail. But the sun was definitely up now. How much time had passed? Why couldn't he remember anything past standing there in that creek.

Then he remembered telling Shane that he was done with Carol and the group. How could he have been so stupid? What the fuck had he been thinking? He couldn't leave her. Was he really going to leave her? He shoved the sheet away from him and looked down at the spot that was causing him so much pain. It was bandaged. There was blood on the sheet next to him. He recalled a gunshot.

"That asshole shoot me?" He asked the empty room.

His head came up when he heard the door open. An older man that he didn't recognize came in and stopped in his tracks when he saw Daryl sitting up in the bed.

"Where am I? Where's Carol?"

"She'll be right in. She's getting you somethin' to eat. I'm Hershel and you were brought here to my farm after you were shot."

"I knew it. I knew that son of a bitch shot me." Daryl growled.

"Are you talking about this Shane fellow?" Hershel asked as he came closer.

"Hell yeah. He's the only one that woulda done it. Asshole wants to move in on my woman and when he saw his chance he took it." Daryl was saying too much to this old man but for some reason he didn't care. He was pissed. And his head hurt and he was having trouble keeping his thinking straight.

"Son, maybe you should lay back for a while. It wasn't Shane that shot you. It was an accident."

Daryl scoffed. "Well Rick wouldn't have shot me. And I ain't layin' around in this room anymore. I got shit to do, old man." He wished he could remember what it was he had to do.

"I know you do. But you aren't going to be any good to that little girl if you don't let yourself heal." Hershel said gently.

"Sophia!" Daryl's head snapped up. That's what he kept forgetting. How could he forget that? He swung his legs over and then clutched at his stomach. He groaned.

"That isn't helping at all." Hershel grumbled as he hurried to Daryl's side.

"This ain't none of your goddamn business." Daryl growled as he tried once more to fight through the pain and get up.

"Daryl!"

He felt like a kid that got caught stealing. He looked up and saw her in the doorway, staring right at him with a disapproving look on her face. He could have dealt with that look but the look under that was what had him leaning back and listening to the old man. Her eyes looked haunted. They were still her eyes. Wide and clear and blue as the sky, but there was something about them that had his heart clenching up painfully. He looked away and finally let the back of his head hit the pillow.

Now he remembered, all to clearly why he had wanted to leave. Whether he found Sophia or not he couldn't risk something like this happening again on his watch. But when he looked at her again and she tried to give him a smile he knew that he wouldn't be able to do it. He'd stick around. Everything in him wanted to stay wherever she was at. And maybe he would get used to seeing that look in her eye every single time he let her down. And he knew he would.

Hershel sighed and turned for the door. "He's all yours."

He watched her set a tray down on the table and then she sat down and turned to him.

"How long I been out?" He asked as his eyes found a crack in the ceiling to focus on.

"A while. It's around ten I believe. I haven't been paying much attention to time." That look in her eyes matched the tone in her quiet voice and he forced himself to look at her. She was looking down at her hands but finally she looked up to meet his eyes. "You really scared me." her voice was as quiet as a breath but it seemed to ring in his ears.

The pain there was thick and heavy and he reached for her arm and pulled her closer, wincing at the sting in his side.

"Sorry." he said in a gruff voice as he cupped her face with shaking hands.

"I talked to Shane earlier." She said as she leaned her face over his. "You going somewhere when you get yourself healed up?"

He kept his eyes on hers, refusing to look away. "I thought about it." there was something there in her voice that had him growing nervous. He wasn't sure what it was. And the way she was looking at him wasn't quite right. Different somehow.

"How could you think about it?" There was anger there now although her voice was still very quiet. Her face just a few inches above his. "How could you be so selfish?"

He didn't want to talk about this right now but she wasn't going to let this go. He'd hurt her. He could see it. "I ain't goin' anywhere."

"But you wanted too." She accused.

"I didn't want to. I just thought it'd be for the best. And you're right. I'm a selfish mother fucker and that's why I ain't goin' anywhere."

She frowned but didn't say anything else.

"I need to get outta here. I have to find that trail." He said as he finally tore his eyes away from hers.

"You can't. All you'll do is hurt yourself more. Rick and Shane are out there now. Have been for hours."

He shook his head. "Rick and Shane don't know what the hell they're doin' out there. I can find that trail again and this could end today."

She shook her head. "They told me this morning that it wasn't just the kids trail you were following. There were Walkers too and then you found another trail. There's another group out there somewhere."

Daryl growled. They shouldn't have told her about that. All that was going to do was worry her even more. And then he knew that it was only one of them that would have told her. He scowled. "I thought I told you to stay the fuck away from Shane? He don't know what the hell he's talkin' about."

"You pretty much gave me to him, from the sound of it. Don't tell me not to talk to a man that you want me to be with. I'll talk to him if I want."

He dropped his hands from her face. "Is that what you think I did?"

She didn't say anything.

"That ain't what I meant, Carol."

"You want to sit up so you can eat?" She said finally as she pulled away from him.

He stared at her as he made slow progress of sitting up again. He moved back so he was leaning against the cold headboard. She handed him the tray of food and then stood up and walked to the window.

He watched her as he ate. He didn't even look down at the food to see what it was he was eating. Man, had he fucked up. This was bad. Now she was pulling away and he couldn't even blame her. But he was panicking yesterday. That's why he had said what he did to Shane. He should have known that the fucker would run and tell her everything.

When his plate was finally empty he sat the tray back on the table. She had stayed there in front of the window with her arms crossed and her back to him.

"Carol?" His tone was unsure.

She turned around and gave him one of those fake smiles he'd seen her give to other people. "You done?"

He nodded and she walked over like she was going to take the tray but he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her roughly towards him. Pain be damned. He wasn't going to have her walking away like this. He had to fix this before it turned into something bigger. Before she really did consider running off to Shane.

"Let go." She said firmly.

"Don't be pissed, okay." He said as he dropped his hand from her arm.

She didn't leave which he took as a good sign. Instead she sat down on the edge of the bed and turned her head so she could look at him. "You think I'm angry?" She laughed bitterly. "Daryl, my daughter is lost in the woods. She's being hunted by Walkers. She's probably cold and hungry. I can't stop thinking about that. And then today, I hear that you're leaving me. You give Shane the okay to be with me. And you're telling me not to be pissed." She shook her head and looked away. "Well, I'm not pissed Daryl. I'm hurt. It hurts." her voice cracked.

"I'm not leavin'." he said but it sounded generic even to his own ears.

"Does it really matter at this point what you do?"

That stung. He didn't know what he could say. This was all new territory to him. "Does it matter to you?" He asked.

She shook her head which caused his heart to pound with fresh panic. But then she turned her wet eyes back on him. "Of course it matters, you matter. You're not stupid Daryl. Every goddamn decision you make matters to me. You have to stop thinking that you call all the shots here. It isn't just about you anymore. Once you love someone you can't do stupid selfish shit like decide to leave. I need you. More than I ever needed anybody in my life and if you can't deal with that. If that's something you can't cope with then fine. Tell me. Don't run off half cocked like some jackass."

He didn't know what to say to all of that. She was right and he knew it.

"And you still don't have anything to say, huh?" She said, clearly exasperated in his inability to have this conversation with her. She blew out a frustrated breath and then stood up angrily. "Just forget it." She was about to storm off but he once again grabbed her hand.

"I love you." He said simply. "I'm gonna fuck up. You think this is bad? This ain't shit. But I love you and I'm gonna try, okay? Just give me a fuckin' break woman. I think I've done okay so far."

Her eyes widened and he could have sworn he saw a glimpse of that old spark, and then she was back on the bed, sitting sideways so she could look at him. The ghost of a smile touched her lips and he knew then that the storm was over.

"One time." She growled. "I'm letting you use the love card one time but that's it. Only because I'm a sucker for it. But next time you do somethin' so stupid I'm going to shoot you myself. Do you understand me?" She leaned in so her face was just a breath away from his.

"Yes, ma'am." He smirked.

She shook her head and finally kissed him. He didn't realize how much he needed that until her lips were right there, but he had needed it bad. It felt warm and familiar. Comforting. It felt like home.


	29. Chapter 29

**FINALLY! For all of you that were so worried about the kiddo's, here you go. Some Sophia POV. And remember that she was so quiet in the show that it's hard to tell how she really was so she's pretty much an OOC right now. So, here is some more of MY Sophia. I think this is how she could have been if those sadistic evil producers and writers would have let her live! Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoy and this eases some of your frayed nerves =) Make sure you are all caught up! I posted chapter 28 in the wee hours of the morning so make sure you aren't skipping anything!**

Chapter Twenty Nine

Sophia grimaced. Her stomach rumbled but she pressed on. She could have sworn that they had circled back around yesterday and was headed back for the road but by nightfall she knew they had done something wrong. It was painfully clear that they had headed further into the woods after they finally lost those Walkers.

It had gotten cold too and Carl and her had had no choice but to turn to one another for heat. That was not something she ever wanted to do again so they trudged quietly through the woods, looking for the road. Curling up in the dirt with a stinky boy was not her idea of fun.

"I'm starvin'." Carl complained.

She rolled her eyes. She had been wearing her backpack when they had escaped the camper but she didn't have much food in it. The food that Jenner had sent for her mom and Daryl was already gone. They had eaten it last night. Now she was down to a few packs of crackers and a couple of bottles of water. They needed to conserve what they had.

"Do you have anymore food in your bag?" he asked after a few more moments of silence.

"We have to save it." She said sternly.

"Save it for what? For when we're hungry? Like we are right now." He grumbled.

She stopped and turned to face him, crossing her arms. "Look, I don't know how long it's going to take Daryl to find us, okay. We don't have enough food to be eating it all up now. We have to think ahead."

He narrowed his eyes and looked down as he dug the toe of his boot into the soft earth. "How do you know Daryl's even comin'. It ain't like your his kid or anything."

She scowled at him. "He's comin' to get me. I don't have to be his kid for him to want me to be safe."

Carl just nodded. "If you say so."

She continued on without another word. She wished Daryl would have taught her a thing or two about the outdoors. She knew there were plenty of things her and Carl could eat but she didn't know what would make them sick or not. He would know that. He knew everything about stuff like that. She missed her mom and then she had to shake that thought away. That was kid stuff and she couldn't act like a little girl right now. Right now she had to be more like Daryl and so she would. Maybe they would find the road soon.

"Maybe my dad will find us." Carl said quietly.

Sophia nodded and offered him a smile. She really did like Rick a lot but she doubted he would be able to find them. Rick wasn't like Daryl.

"So, do you think that Daryl and your mom is going to get married now?" Carl asked.

Sophia barked out a laugh and then quieted herself quickly. "No. I don't think people get married anymore. You need a church and stuff for that. And besides, I don't think Daryl's the type of guy that gets married."

"Why not?"

Sophia just gave him a sideways look and then they both laughed.

"Okay. That was a stupid question."

"I think they love each other though." Sophia said after a while.

"How do you know?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It just seems like they do. They kiss a lot when they think no ones around. He saved her from Ed."

Sophia knew Carl wasn't going to ask her about her calling her father Ed. She had done that in secret for a long time. She hated him. She had hated him for as long as she could remember. Her mom had tried to hide the things he did from her but sometimes it didn't work. She would lay in bed and listen to her mom cry. He wasn't her dad. As far as she was concerned she never had a dad.

She was watching the ground and trying to listen for the sounds of other feet on the dead leaves when suddenly she saw something that made her stop. She threw out her arm causing Carl to bump into it with his chest.

"What?" He asked, looking around.

"Walnuts." She grinned as she looked up. The tree was huge and there were walnuts everywhere. She didn't need Daryl to know that they had hit the jackpot.

"How are we gonna open them?" Carl asked as he started gathering then up and filling up his mostly empty backpack.

Sophia put her hands on her hips and looked around. She saw a few rocks about as big as her fist and she picked them up and knelt down. She cracked open the hard shell between the rocks and then handed the whole thing to Carl who started eating right away.

"This is the best thing I think I've ever eaten." he said with a grin.

Sophia pulled her bag around and dumped out it's contents. Most of it was stuff she didn't need. Books and papers and a few stuffed animals. Nothing that she needed. She put the crackers and the water to the side and dumped the rest out. She started filling the bag with nuts. At least they weren't going to starve. Her and Carl ate enough to make their stomachs stop hurting and then she shoved the rocks into the bag. It was a bit heavier but that was okay. Carl had done the same with his own backpack. She felt herself relax a little. Now food was just one less worry for them.

~H~

Carol could tell he was in pain. She had spent the afternoon in the room with him and he had moved around too much. She could feel that his hands were shaking on her back. "You need to let me get Hershel. You don't have to be in pain. Milton said that there is plenty of medicine. All you have to do is let someone know that you need it."

He blew out a breath and rolled his eyes. "A little pain never killed anybody. I don't need the shit."

Something occurred to her then. Something he had said last night about Merle. "Daryl, you got shot. Taking something for the pain doesn't make you a drug addict."

He seemed surprised that she had figured it out. He sighed and then rolled over onto his back. He had been laying on his good side, facing her, for quite a while and the movement made him wince. "Fine. Go get the old man and have him shoot me up then if that will make you satisfied."

Carol left the room, shutting the door behind her just as Shane and Rick were coming down the hall. She could just tell, by Ricks haggard face and the grim set of Shane's mouth, that they had had no luck in finding the kids. Her heart sank. She hadn't realized how much she had been hoping today would be the day they would bring them back. But now that hope was slipping away that they would bring them back at all.

"I'm sorry Carol." Rick said sadly. "We're gonna grab something to eat and then head right back out. Glen and T-dog are going too so we can cover more ground. I ain't gonna stop until we have them back."

Carol nodded. "Could you tell Hershel that Daryl needs something for the pain?" She whispered. She was having trouble finding her voice.

Rick looked at her for a long moment. "Sure thing. How is he?"

"He's better. Just as stubborn as he was yesterday."

He touched her face lightly and then walked away. Shane didn't say a word to her.

She slipped back into the room and pressed her back to the door. She had been so sure they would find them. She went to the bed and slipped in next to him, using his outstretched arm for a pillow. She had to keep telling herself that it could be worse. She could have lost them both and she at least had him.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a gruff voice full of dread.

"Rick and Shane are back. They didn't find anything." She said and then she raised her head to look at him. He was staring up at the ceiling. "What if we don't find her?" She whispered.

He didn't move his head but he rolled his eyes over to look at her. "That ain't gonna happen. Soon as I'm able I'm bringin' her ass back. She's smart. Ain't nothin' gonna happen to her." His teeth were clenched.

She nodded and moved her head to his chest. "I just want her back." She whispered.

His arms came around her then and he leaned down to place his lips to the top of her head. "Me too."

~H~

Carl stopped and grabbed Sophia's hand. "Look!" He pointed off to her left.

She peered through the trees. They could make out at least a dozen tents and then she strained her ears and she could hear the sound of men laughing. Something about the sound of them caused her stomach to twist up in knots.

"Let's go." He tried to pull her towards the camp but she jerked her hand out of his and shook her head.

"No way. We don't know those men. We don't know if they are bad or not." Sophia whispered.

"They're not Walkers. We'll have a better chance of finding our parents if they can help." he argued.

"No. we need to get out of here, Carl. Now." She insisted.

He shook his head and glanced longingly towards the camp but then just let her pull him in the opposite direction.

"We need to keep walking as long as we can. I'm not sure what time it is but it's getting late again." She said quietly. She hadn't let go of his hand. She knew she shouldn't be walking through the woods holding hands with a boy but he wasn't just a boy. He was Carl and he was her only friend left, and it felt good to know he was right there. Even if he did really get on her nerves sometimes.

"To bad we don't have a gun, huh? It'd feel a lot safer if we did."

Sophia just shrugged. "You know how to use one?"

He blushed a little and then shook his head. "Well then we wouldn't be too much safer. But when all this is over I'm gonna have Daryl teach me how to use one. Maybe a bow too."

"Wish my dad would teach me that stuff." Carl grumbled.

"If I asked, Daryl would teach us both." Sophia said.

"My mom and dad would probably get pretty mad about that." Carl said with a shake of his head.

"So." She shrugged. "He isn't scared of your dad. He does what he wants and if he wants to teach us to use a gun then that exactly what he's gonna do."

"I don't think he likes me much." Carl muttered.

Sophia laughed quietly. "He's just a little rough around the edges is all. He's the best man I've ever met."

Carl just shook his head. "I think he's okay now. He used to be a real asshole."

Sophia gave him a dangerous look.

"I meant before he started kissing your mom all the time." he smiled and bumped her shoulder with his own causing her to laugh.

"Good save, Grimes."

~H~

Carol sat on the porch steps and watched the sun setting beyond the fields. It was quiet right now. Their group was all together once again. The others had left the highway but they left the kids a message on the windshield of one of the cars along with some food. Carol wasn't expecting them to make it back to the road though. She kept that to herself but that was the way she felt.

She heard the screen door creak open and then footsteps heading towards her. She didn't turn to see who it was. She kept her moist eyes on the horizon until whoever had came out sat down next to her.

"I've always loved it here."

She heard a soft southern drawl and looked over to see Maggie smiling towards the sunset. "It's a beautiful farm. You're daddy is kind to let us stay on for a bit."

"When I was in high school all my friends always talked about the places they'd go and the things they'd do. They couldn't wait to get away from this place I always just wanted to be here with my family. I never had those big city dreams."

There was something soothing in this girls voice. Carol could listen to her talk for hours. But she knew she would have to join in the conversation eventually. She sighed. "I never much cared where I lived. I always just wanted a big family. A husband and lots of kids to take care of. I didn't dream big. My friends used to laugh at me for it."

Maggie stretched her long legs out in front of her and leaned back on her arms. "I don't think that's somethin' to laugh at. I think that sounds like a real nice life."

Carol smiled. "Me too."

"So why did you two only have one? If you don't mind me askin'."

Carol looked back towards the fields. "I decided not to have anymore."

"You got fixed?" Maggie asked, a bit shocked. "But what about all them kids you wanted to have?"

Carol couldn't help but chuckle. She had always hated it when people said that. Like they were a bunch of dogs going off to get spayed. "My husband was a cruel man. I figured protecting one would be hard enough."

"Was? What'd he do, turn over a new leaf? I know he sounded mean as a snake last night."

Carol laughed out right then. Maggie was the second person in the same amount of days to think that Daryl Dixon was her husband. "He's not my husband. And he's got a fowl mouth on him but he's about the sweetest man I've ever known."

Maggie smiled. "I'm sorry. I just assumed cause in between all that cussin' he was worrin' somethin' awful over you."

"He does that." She said softly. "He worries about me while he's got a belly full of lead. See, told you he was sweet."

Maggie grinned. "You're right. But still, that man's mouth can sure cause a girl to blush."

Carol hid a smile. "Don't I know it." She said quietly as that smile broke free and lit up her face.


	30. Chapter 30

**Just a bit of a filler chapter. I hope you still like it. Thank you, as always, for the reviews! I'm not sure how much writing I'll be doing after tomorrows episode so don't hate me if the updates start to dwindle a bit. I'm nervous! Anyway, Happy Easter to those that celebrate it! And happy Walking Dead Day! (I know you all celebrate that one)... Oh, and anyone that is doing any traveling, please be careful! There are idiots everywhere =)**

Chapter Thirty

"There." Sophia pointed down the incline at a tree that was about ten yards away.

"Holy crap." Carl whispered. "That's so perfect. But what is it?"

Sophia shrugged. "No clue. I just hope it's in good shape.

They walked carefully down the hill until they were standing under the tree that she had pointed out.

"I've seen these on T.V. This is one of those things that hunters sit on and wait for deer to come. This is great. Nothing can get to us up there." Carl put his hand on the metal rung and started climbing up. It looked safe enough. It was pretty new as far as she could tell.

Sophia waited until he was at the top before she climbed up after him. It was sturdy but not very big, she realized once she got to the top. It was about two feet wide and about four feet long but it had rails so they wouldn't slip out in their sleep and they could get some rest since they didn't have to worry about Walkers finding them tonight. Last night had been a long one.

She rubbed her hands up and down her arms for warmth. It felt colder up here but it wasn't windy and the sky was clear so she would count her blessings. Carl scooted closer to her and the warmth from his arm pressed against hers helped a lot.

"You want those crackers now?" She asked him after they had sat there, lost in their own thoughts, for a while.

He nodded. "Do you think we'll find anything tomorrow?"

"I hope so. I miss my mom and Daryl." She muttered as she handed him his share of food.

"Yeah. Me too. But I'm pretty proud of us. This is our second night and we aren't dead yet. That's somethin'." He smiled.

"It is. But my mom is probably so scared right now. More scared than me I bet. I've never been away from my mom before. Not like this."

He looked out at the darkening trees. "I've never really been away from my parents either. Well, my dad. Back when we thought he was dead."

They finished their food in silence.

"Should we try to sleep?" Carl asked quietly.

They both sighed loudly, neither of them very comfortable with sleeping so close together but also knowing that it was the only way to stay warm.

"Carl?" Sophia asked eventually.

Carl's eyes opened and he looked at her. "What?"

"Can you please promise me something. It would mean a lot to me." She said in a more serious tone than she usually used.

He didn't say anything but he nodded, his expression serious.

"Promise me that after this. We sleep as far away from each other as we can possibly get." She lost the serious look when they both laughed.

"I promise. Believe me."

~H~

Maggie had gone inside long ago. The others had set up camp under a group of trees a little ways from the house. Hershel seemed to be uneasy about all the company but he was always polite. He spent a lot of time talking to Milton which Carol thought was pretty nice. She was about to go inside and check on Daryl when she saw Shane coming her way. They were back. She took a deep steadying breath.

He sat down next to her with his hat in his hands, head hung. "We still ain't turned up anything. We'll head back out in the mornin' though. It just got too dark."

She nodded. She figured that it would be like that.

"I'm really sorry Carol. I don't have a kid out there but I just want you to know that I'm lookin' for them just as hard as I would if it was my own kids."

"Thanks Shane. I appreciate it." She said as she stood up and walked stiffly into the house. She went straight to the bedroom and was surprised to see it empty. When she had left him he had been asleep.

She found him in the kitchen, leaned against the counter talking to Rick. Rick must have used the back door. Daryl looked much better than he had earlier and she was so thankful for that. He looked up and saw her in the doorway. He didn't smile. There wasn't anything to smile about.

"I'm goin' in the mornin'." He said to Rick.

"Did you run that by Hershel and Milton?" Rick asked cautiously.

"I ain't gotta run shit by anybody. You two ain't findin'em so I'm goin' to."

Rick looked up but he was looking past her. She turned around and there was Shane, right behind her.

"Daryl?" She said in a voice that she was surprised he even heard.

He looked up and then looked past her, scowling. "What?"

"Will you walk with me?" She asked.

He glared at Shane and then nodded. She took his hand and led him out the back door. He was slow moving but he managed to stay upright and keep a strong grip on her hand. Hershel said that Jimmy had been pretty far away when he had shot him so none of the pellets had went in deep enough to do too much damage but he could still mess himself up pretty good if he wasn't careful.

"Daryl." She said as she stopped next to one of the outbuildings. She could see the sheen of sweat on his forehead even in the dark. "I think you should take it easy. Let the other men find them okay?" Or try to find them anyway, she thought to herself.

"I can't do that." He said in a strained voice.

"Yes, Daryl, you can." She said as she wiped the sweat away with her hand. "Please."

"I need to find her, Carol. She ain't gonna be able to survive out there on her own forever."

"Daryl, we don't even know if she's alive." She whispered.

He shook his head. "Don't say that again." He growled.

She couldn't make out his features in the dark but she could hear the rage in his voice. She almost backed away from him but she refused. She stood her ground. "I can't have you killing yourself while chasing a ghost in the woods."

She waited for a long time for him to say something but he didn't. He just stood there, breathing heavily. He was angry but she had to say it. She had to voice her fears to someone and he was the only person she wanted to confide in. She turned away from him and then felt his arm slip around her waist before she could take a step away. He pulled her backwards gently and then she felt him lean himself against the wall of the building. His other arm locked around her next and it was the most comfortable she had felt all day.

He leaned his head down close to her ear."She ain't a ghost in the woods. She ain't dead. She ain't a Walker. I'm gonna find her and I'm gonna bring her back. You get all that other shit outta your head because that's all it is. Shit. You're just scared. You got every right to be scared. But you gotta stop actin' like she's already gone. She ain't."

She didn't want to listen to him. If she let herself believe that Sophia was fine and was coming home and then found out that it wasn't true it would kill her. It would scramble her insides like an egg and she wouldn't be able to live anymore. She had dealt with the letdown too many times over the past two days and it was driving her insane. If she accepted it now then she could try to get a jump start on the healing. But his words made her heart pound with hope and right then she really did start to believe as he did. If anyone could bring Sophia home it was him.

They both heard footsteps at the same time and Carol instantly became tense against him.

"It ain't Walkers." He breathed into her ear, causing goosebumps to break out over her arms.

He pulled her backwards until they were standing in the blackness between two buildings.

"Why are we hiding?" She whispered.

"Because Lori is one of the people coming this way."

"So what?" She turned until she was facing him but still close enough to be pressed up against his body.

"So, she's up to somethin' and I wanna find out what it is. Me and Sophia saw her talkin' to Jenner and he told her somethin' that really got a reaction outta her. And that ain't Rick she's with. It's Shane."

Sure enough a few seconds later Shane and Lori walked past their hiding spot. Carol felt like a spy. But she couldn't help but strain her ears to hear what they were saying.

"So Rick already knows about this?" Shane asked as the door to the outbuilding creaked open and then closed again. They could hear their footsteps on the wooden floor inside.

"Of course Rick knows about this." Lori snapped.

"Does he know it could be mine?" Shane said in a low voice.

Carol covered her mouth with her hand. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"It doesn't matter what you think. This baby is Ricks. As far as Rick is concerned and as far as anyone else is concerned."

"So I just stand back and watch somebody like Rick raise a kid that is most likely mine? Is that what you want me to do?" Shane asked in a hushed but angry voice.

"That's what you have to do Shane. But we can still have this. For a little longer anyway. I miss you, you know that."

It got quiet for a while after that.

Carol put her forehead against Daryl's chest and shook her head sadly.

"What a bitch." He whispered.

She reached for his hand and then they slipped from between the buildings and headed back towards the house. The noises coming from the building were definitely not something either of them wanted to hear. But it was pretty obvious that Lori was still messing with Shane's head pretty bad. Telling him all of that and then tell him that she missed him. And they were obviously doing something in there that they were both enjoying from the sounds of it.

"I hope you ain't that loud." He grumbled and she felt her face turn red. "We'd need to drive a mile away just to keep from wakin' up the whole camp."

"I guess that all depends on you. I'm not a liar Daryl Dixon. I've never made a sound in my life like she's making in there. I've never been given a reason" She shot back and then she seen some color come back into his pale face as he smirked.

"I'm gonna take that as a personal challenge, woman." He smiled at her and she tried to hide the fact that her face was probably glowing from the heat in her cheeks.

Right before they reached the back porch steps Rick came out and Carol tightened her grip on Daryl's hand.

"Hey, have you guys seen Lori? I thought she would be back where we are camped but I can't find her anywhere." He scanned the dark yard behind them.

Carol was about to tell him that she hadn't seen her but Daryl spoke before she could.

"I swear I thought I saw her goin' in to that buildin' over there." He pointed to the building that he very well knew Lori and Shane were in. "But it's dark. I could be wrong." He shrugged and stepped around Rick who was now heading right for that building.

Carol tugged him into the kitchen and shut the door firmly. Hershel and his daughter Beth was there so she only smiled at them and pulled him down the hall to what had become their room. She shut the door firmly and then spun around and slapped his chest.

"Daryl Dixon what in the hell is wrong with you! Why would you do that to him? Do you know what this is going to do to that man? What were you thinking?" She was pissed. She felt so bad for Rick.

Daryl grabbed her wrist before she could smack him again. He was looking down at her with an amused expression that made her want to hit him. "It slipped." He shrugged and then kissed her palm as he kept his eyes on hers.

It didn't matter that her palm was tingling where his lips had been. She was still mad. A little. "It did not slip. You sent him to that building on purpose to get back at Shane for telling me what you said."

He sighed and then put his hands on her waist. "Carol, if you went and slept with another man, got pregnant, made me think it was my baby and then ran off and fucked the guy some more just for fun, I would hope I caught your ass in the act. That man looks like a dumb ass because of what his wife and his best friend are doin' behind his back."

"I'd never do som..."

"I know you wouldn't ever do somethin' like that. If I thought that's how you was there ain't no way we'd be here right now."

"But we threw him to the wolves, Daryl. His son is missing and his wife is sleeping with his best friend and he doesn't have anyone to turn too." She felt her eyes start to tear up and then he was smirking at her.

"People hurt, woman. It's the way of the world. He shoulda been more picky like me." he wiped a tear away with a finger and then caught her mouth with his.

She let her mind stop for just a few minutes. She needed that escape. She let her hands trail up his chest and then over his shoulders threading her fingers through his hair and pulling him even closer. She focused her whole mind on nothing but him. The way his hair felt like silk between her fingers, the way his tongue slid lazily against her own. The way his rough hands could still feel so gentile as they slid up the back of her shirt. She wished it didn't have to stop but it did. She put her hands flat against his chest and pushed him away gently.

"You need to sleep as much as you can if you're going out there tomorrow." She mumbled as she steadied her breathing.

"You ain't gonna give me anymore shit over it?" He asked suspiciously.

She shook her head. "You're right. She's too tough and she's too smart. She's out there and she's alive. You just gotta go get her. And you're the only one that I know can actually do that." And she truly believed it was true. If her daughter was dead she would have felt something, surely. And after he said what he said earlier she was able to look past all of that doubt and just feel. And she felt like everything was going to be fine. He'd bring her home.

He studied her for a moment before he nodded.

"I'm glad I found that sweater but I woulda found that trail without it. I wish she still had it. Nights are cold out there." He let himself worry a bit and Carol gave him a small smile.

"You're the one that keeps telling me she's fine. Now you're gonna worry?"

He snorted as he eased himself down onto the bed. "Just don't want the smart mouth brat bein' cold."

"Well, if she's still with Carl then surely the two of them are smart enough to know to keep each other warm at night." She said as she slid under the blanket with him.

He sat straight up then and shot her a look that ranged somewhere between outrage and panic. He clutched his side and winced. "What? What the fuck do you mean, 'keep each other warm.'?"

"Body heat." She shrugged, not really understanding what his problem was.

He looked at her like she was crazy. "If that little fucker tries something I don't give a shit who his godda..."

Carol put a finger to his lips. "Stop it. That is _not_ what I meant. Jesus, Daryl. Get your head out of the gutter. Their just kids." She tried to sound appalled but deep down she was happy to hear the outrage in his voice. He would have been a great dad. The kind of dad that Sophia deserved.

He calmed down quickly and then lowered himself back down. "Well, don't say shit like that. I was a twelve year old boy once too, ya know. I know what goes through their perverted little heads." He still sounded bothered.

"I'm sure Sophia would break his nose for him if he ever thought of something like that." She said as she curled up against him.

"Good. I think when we get her back I'm gonna teach her how to fight dirty. And I'm givin' her gun too and I don't wanna hear any shit from you bout how she's too young cause she ain't."

Carol yawned. "Teach her whatever you want, Daryl. If it makes you feel better." She smiled.

"I will then." He almost sounded like a petulant child himself and he actually crossed his arms over his chest.

"Are you going to lay here and be aggravated all night or can you shut off that light?"

He shot her a narrowed eyed look and then reached for the lamp. He rolled over onto his side so he was facing her. He blew out a breath and shook his head in annoyance. "Body heat. I can't believe you said that. You know I ain't gonna sleep all damn night now, right?"

She could have laughed if not for the real danger Sophia was in. "Daryl, she's lost in the woods where any number of bad things could happen and what has you upset is the fact that she's with a boy? That's just silly."

"Shut up." He grumbled.


	31. Chapter 31

**Hope you all enjoyed the show! No spoilers because I know a few folks that have to wait to watch it tomorrow. And now we have what? Seven months... I do NOT like that! Anyway, here's a chapter that I hope you like! I want you all to give me your guess after you read it! Tee Hee! Thanks for all of your reviews! Much love ;)**

Chapter Thirty One

It wasn't quite dawn yet but Daryl knew he wasn't going to get anymore sleep. He felt rested. He wasn't in as much pain. And even if that wasn't the case, he would have gotten up anyway. No one else was going to bring those kids back and he desperately wanted to be able to give Carol her daughter back. Not just because he wanted Carol to be happy again but because he wanted the kid back himself. Ever since that first day when they had gone to get water together there was something about her that he liked. And at the time he didn't like many people.

She had instantly trusted him too. And he didn't think he would ever get used to people trusting him. But she had. And when her own daddy had called her over she had turned to Daryl to protect her and he had liked feeling like he could. Like he could save her from the man. He'd never admit it to anyone but it was the truth. He saw a lot of himself in the girl. Everything she had been through hadn't broken her. He had always thought that he was broken, but he wasn't. He just needed someone like Carol to show him that he did have a lot to offer the world.

He wasn't Merle's little brother when it came to these people. He was Daryl Dixon. He was his own man, not the shadow of Merle. Not some hot headed white trash redneck criminal. He wasn't a punching bag and he wasn't a ticking time bomb. He had a lot to offer. And he had never even known it. He'd always believed what people had told him. Always accepted his lot with his mouth closed and had kept himself sealed off from anyone who might tell him any different.

He sat up and ran a hand through hair and then glanced down. She was still asleep, which meant she must have been exhausted because usually as soon as she felt him move she would wake up.

He got out of bed and stretched a little to test out his wounds. Other than a little pain and little tugging sensation here and there he felt like a new man. He needed to talk to Hershel. Maybe the old man had a map of the terrain he could check out. He would probably be able to figure out a decent plan if he had an aerial view of the land. It wouldn't be too hard to make a few educated guesses on where the kids would have headed from the highway. And he already knew they had made it to the creek. That meant he already had a starting point that was further into the woods.

He quickly changed his clothes and slipped out of the room, carrying his boots with him so he wouldn't make any noise on the hardwood floor.

There was light shining out from the kitchen so he figured somebody must be up. When he looked through the doorway he saw Hershel and Rick sitting at the table. Milton was lingering by the counter and the youngest girl that he really hadn't even met yet was at the stove. He thought her name was Beth.

Daryl felt a pang of guilt at the sight of Rick. He had his arms folded on the table with his head lying on them. Hershel looked on sympathetically and then reached out and patted Rick on the shoulder before he looked up and caught Daryl spying.

Daryl gave him a nod and then walked in and took a seat, easing his crossbow onto the floor next to him.

"Hey, Rick. You get any sleep last night?" He asked, just to make conversation. He was really starting to feel like a piece of shit for that move. He should have thought that one out better. But it was true what he had told Carol last night. If it was him he would want to know what was going on. Maybe he could have broken it to him a little more gently than that but still. He felt like he at least kind of did the right thing by sending the man out to catch them himself.

When Rick raised his head to look at him he flinched a little at the sight of his face. He had a wicked black eye and a couple of scrapes. He hoped, for Ricks sake, that Shane looked worse. Rick shook his head and then Daryl remembered to act like he didn't know what had happened already.

"What happened to you?" He asked.

Rick gave him a humorless smile and shook his head. "Shane happened." He said in a low voice.

"Shane? Thought you and him were thick as thieves."

Rick shook his head. "I'll tell you about it later. I don't feel like talkin' about it anymore."

"Alright. You want me to go get T-dog to go with me to look for the kids?" He felt awful the more he sat there and had to look at Ricks tortured face. Carol was right. Daryl had thrown him to the wolves.

"That's a good idea. You two head out first and then maybe Glen and I can go in a little later." Rick said but he wasn't looking at Daryl anymore. He was just staring off into space now.

Hershel cleared his throat. "Rick. Maybe you should get some rest. Take one of the spare rooms upstairs."

Rick nodded and stood up. "Thank you Hershel. It's appreciated. Everything you've done for our group. It hasn't been easy on any of us."

Hershel just nodded so Rick turned to walk away. He stopped next to Daryl's chair and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're a lucky man, Daryl. To have what you have. Make sure you don't take that woman for granted. Not for one minute." He gave Daryl's shoulder a squeeze and then hurried out of the room.

Milton walked out wordlessly after Rick did.

They all watched him go and then were silent for a while.

"Beth, could you pour Mr. Dixon a cup of coffee?" Hershel asked his youngest daughter.

Beth turned around and gave them a smile, already holding a cup in her hand that she handed to Daryl. He nodded his thanks and she nodded back.

"You're a lot quieter when you aren't delirious." Hershel noted dryly.

Daryl had heard all about all the things he had said while his head was rattled and Hershel was trying to dig the buckshot out of him. He did have the good since to look sheepish even though he thought that he had every right to cuss out whoever he wanted if they were digging around in his guts.

"Sorry bout that." He said as he ducked his head and looked off towards the windows over the sink.

Hershel smiled slightly and then took the plate of food Beth handed him. Daryl was next but he shook his head. She looked towards her father who gave her a nod and she sat the plate down in front of him anyway.

"You need to eat before you head out there, against my better judgment I might add." Hershel said quietly. "You need to keep up your strength. I wish you would give it another day or two. Your friend Theodore can go out with my Maggie."

"A girl?" Daryl scoffed and then he caught himself. Carol was right, he had been such a fucking hermit he couldn't even have a conversation with this old man.

"Maggie was born and raised on this farm. She knows the woods. She insists on helping even though I've told her that you and your people can manage just fine on your own."

Daryl wanted to argue and tell the old man that these weren't his people but he couldn't. And he wanted to tell him that he didn't need some girl slowing him down. But whether he wanted to admit it or not, they had become his people and if the girl knew the area then that really could prove to be helpful. "I can't lay around in bed while those kids are out there." He shrugged, "But maybe your daughter can help. Guess we need all the help we can get." He shut his mouth and concentrated on his food.

"You are a stubborn man, aren't you?" Hershel asked.

Daryl glanced up and had to hide a smile. He'd been hearing that a lot here lately.

~H~

Sophia was so sick of walnuts that she wanted to puke. They had gotten up with the sun and climbed down from their tree. She was starting to get really worried. She never knew what direction they were going in and this was their third day out here. If her and Carl were heading further and further into the woods then it was going to make it that much harder for them to be found. But she was too afraid to just sit still and wait. So far they had seen a few Walkers but they weren't that much of a problem. Her and Carl were fast and quiet. But she knew their luck would run out soon. They were down to their last bottle of water and she wasn't sure if they would run into any creeks or anything today.

She was also a little concerned about that camp they had came across yesterday. Carl's dad was a good guy and even Shane wasn't a bad person, even though for some reason she couldn't stand him, so Carl didn't understand things the way she did. She knew for a fact that there were more bad people in the world than good. Like Ed and his friends. She remembered the way some of those men had looked at her and even though she didn't understand what it meant she knew that it had made her afraid. So afraid sometimes that she would just hide in her room any time they came around.

And, even though it wasn't something she liked to think about, Ed had started giving her those same looks. Any time her mom wasn't in the same room with her he would look at her like that and it made her feel so sick to her stomach that sometimes she would actually vomit. Never knowing if or when he was going to start hurting her the way he had hurt her mom. He had slapped her around a few times but she knew it could get much worse than that.

"I still think we should have asked those people for help yesterday." Carl said quietly, snapping her out of her reverie.

"We didn't know those people. They could have caused more harm than good." She said as they climbed over a fallen tree trunk.

"Not everyone in the world is bad, Sophia. There isn't a monster behind every corner." He said in a low voice.

She stopped. "Yeah? And not everybody out there is like your dad, Carl. Believe it or not I think there's a lot more bad than good and I'm not taking a chance. They'll find us. We just have to give them time."

They started walking again and then from the corner of her eye she saw him shake his head. "It's been three days now. I'm startin' to think that they looked for us and then gave up."

"That's bullshit Carl. You can think that your dad gave up all you want but I know Daryl hasn't and he'll find us."

"Sophia, how do you know our people even made it off the road. You saw those things. Maybe there were just too many and no one made it. Everyone was out in the open when they came by." Carl said quietly.

Sophia had thought of that. She had thought about that a lot but she wasn't going to tell him that. She had to believe that her mom was okay. She had to believe that Daryl was looking for her. Because if she let herself think otherwise then she would just sit down and wait for the next Walker. And she didn't want to do that. She wanted to live. Her life had just started getting better and she refused to think that it was all gone. That her mom and Daryl were gone.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. We're gonna be okay. They'll find us." Carl muttered without looking at her.

They continued on once more, each lost in their own thoughts so she was startled when she looked up and saw what looked like a shed. It was a shelter. Maybe they could actually just make camp and stay here for a little while. The thought of sleeping under an actual roof sounded so good, even if it was barely morning. Her muscles ached from sleeping in that tree and on the ground so this run down shack seemed like luxury.

"You think there might be somethin' in there that we could use for a weapon?" Carl asked.

"Guess we'll find out." She said as they approached the door. On closer inspection it wasn't just a shed. It was like a small cabin. There could even be a bed in there. The only thing that concerned her was that if a big group of those things came by they would be trapped again. It wasn't safe like the tree stand had been. But the thought of a decent place to rest sounded to good to pass up.

She reached for the doorknob and pushed it open on squeaking hinges. It was dark in there but she could still make out the inside of the room. There was a table with a lantern on it. One wall held what looked like some sort of tool collection and just her luck there was a small bed pushed against the wall. But unfortunately it also held a dead body.

Before she could say a word to Carl that dead body coughed a few times, groaned, rolled over and muttered in a whispered rasp, "Come on and get it mother fuckers. Free meal right here."


	32. Chapter 32

**Sorry this is a few hours late. I try to post a chapter by now but I was writing and just spaced it. It's Monday. That is my excuse =) And since I also posted a chapter at midnight I'm hoping that makes up for it! I know I am getting into more peoples POV on here and I hope that I'm doing it in a way that isn't confusing anyone. It's harder when everyone has something different going on and I'm trying to make it as smooth as possible! Hope everyone has a good Monday! **

Chapter Thirty Two

Carol was showered and dressed and out the door in less than fifteen minutes. She had been spending so much time in the house with Daryl that she had left all of the rest to the group and she felt bad. All of them usually pitched in and helped but there she was sleeping in a house in a warm soft bed and eating at a dinner table while her friends were still roughing it outside. She was such a shit.

The camp was set up so everyone had their tent facing the center where the fire was now burning. Dale was leaned over it cooking something that smelled like spam. When she approached he looked up with a wide smile.

"Good morning." He said. "I have to say, I'm sure glad you're back. You have no idea what bad cooks Amy and Andrea are."

"I'm sorry Dale." Carol said as she looked around their small camp. Amy was sitting cross legged on the ground with Glen, who to Carol's surprise, had his arm around her. They were laughing at something and no one else in the world existed at the moment from the way they were looking at each other.

Dale waved a hand at her. "Nonsense. You had a man to take care of. You must have done a good job too since he was out here before the sun, kicking T-dog awake." He laughed.

"T-dog? He went too?" Carol asked. "What about Rick?"

Dale glanced up at her and then away again. "That's what we would all like to know. No one has seen him this morning. We did see Lori but she took off without even eating. Didn't say a word to anyone."

Carol's heart sank. "What about Shane?" She asked.

Dale removed the hot pan and sat it on a log. When he looked up he glanced around to see if anyone was close enough to hear. "Tell me that all of that hasn't come to a head already." He asked in a tone filled with dread.

Carol sat down in a chair next to where he was knelt. "It did." She whispered. "He caught them last night." She looked around. "Caught them together."

Dale shook his head sadly. "I thought maybe that it was still going on but I was hoping..." He sighed and shook his head. "Well, I was hoping that Rick and Lori could have made it all work."

Carol nodded. "Me too, Dale."

"I hope Rick is alright. He's a good man and now he finds this out. Right when his son goes missing." he caught himself and then looked up apologetically. "I'm sorry Carol. I haven't even asked you if you're okay."

She smiled. "I'm fine, Dale. Daryl's going to bring them back."

His face softened a little and he smiled at her. "If anyone can bring them back to us it's him. Not that I would have said that a week ago. But it's the truth."

"Yes it is." She patted his hand and got up to go find someone she never thought she would ever look for.

She found him putting bags into his jeep. He had a freshly buzzed head and a deep scowl. He looked pretty beat up. Carol wished that Daryl hadn't done what he had done. Wished he would have thought about the trauma he was causing by pointing Rick towards that damn building. Shane had really pissed her off over the last couple days, and she knew that he brought this upon himself but she heard Lori last night. Heard the cruel things she said to him and then turn around and made him feel like she wanted him.

"Shane?" She asked tentatively.

He looked up at her but didn't offer her his usually cocky smirk. For once she wished that he would. "Mornin' Carol." He mumbled and tossed another bag into the back of his Jeep.

She walked up to him and touched his arm. "Shane, you want to talk about it?" She asked.

He looked at the hand on his arm and then his eyes met hers. "Ain't nothin' I really care to talk about." he said gruffly.

"Why are you packing? We haven't even got the kids back yet."

He finally did smile but it was bitter. "I gotta get away from this place. I ain't gonna hang around here just so I can play the villain." He slammed the back of the Jeep so hard that it caused her to jump. "I've been doin' that long enough."

"Shane, you can't just leave. You know what it's like out there." She realized then that she really didn't want him to leave. He had done some pretty bad things but he had also helped her several times when it came to Ed and she owed him for that. She couldn't give him what he wanted but she could try to look past the last few days and be a friend to him. Because he had been a friend to her when she needed one.

"I ain't got a reason to stay here." he turned and leaned against the back of the Jeep and she did the same.

"You aren't the villain, Shane. Your just a man that got himself mixed up in a bad situation. It happens. You still have people here that care. You still have friends." She said gently.

"Carol. You stuck a gun in my face. I know why, I get that. But I think that was you pretty much telling me that we weren't friends anymore."

She scoffed. "That? That was nothin', Shane. I had myself a Dixon moment. You just happened to be there. Wrong place wrong time kinda thing." She gave him a grin.

It worked. He actually laughed as he rubbed the back of his buzzed head. Some of the tension was draining away from him and she was happy to see it. "I am sorry for what I did. There wasn't any excuse for that, I know it. Drunk or not, I still knew what I was doing. I just did it cause I wanted to."

She shook her head and gave him the most serious look she could muster. "Shane, I realized that it really wasn't your fault at all."

He scowled at her. "What?"

She shrugged. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't control yourself. I'm a seductress and the opposite sex is enchanted by me. So it wasn't your fault. You're a victim Shane. And not my first either." She shook her head.

He stared at her for a few shocked seconds and then laughed. Not just a small one either, by the time he was finished he was holding his stomach and wiping tears out of his bruised eyes.

She gave him a look that was mildly offended. "It actually wasn't suppose to be _that_ funny, Shane." She said dryly.

He settled himself down enough to lean back against the jeep next to her. "You are somethin' else, Carol. I think I just might miss you the most."

"I never thanked you." She said suddenly, all joking gone from her voice. "I never thanked you for all the times you tried to help me. For those times you looked out for Sophia and I. You're a good man, Shane. We all have faults, but it's those faults that make us human. They make us real. But on the inside I think you are good. And I wish you would stay."

"Carol, I'm in love with my best friends wife. Rick knows it. He knows we've been together this whole time. How can I stay and look them both in the face?" he asked, his voice hushed as he stared off across the fields.

"I can't answer that. But you have to try. Despite everything, you are still my friend. I still care about what happens to you. I'd never be able to offer you more than that," She added quickly, "But I think it should count for something. We need you." She most definitely did not want to try to lead him on. She would never do that to a man. Especially this man, who was so conflicted as it was.

He let out a heavy sigh. "It does, Carol. It counts for a lot."

~H~

"Look at me." T-dog said disgustedly. "I look like Tonto sittin' up here on the back of a damn animal."

Daryl glanced over at him. Maggie had suggested they go out on horseback so they could cover more ground and Daryl wouldn't tire as easily. T-dog had not been a happy man. "Tonto was an Indian." he said with a smirk.

T-dog grimaced. "I'm gonna get bucked off this damn thing. I'm not much of an animal lover. Animals always creeped me out."

"You're scared of animals?" Daryl asked.

The look T-dog shot him would have made a lesser man cower. "This big ass animal that could buck me off it's damn back and then stomp my head in, yeah, this animal is scary."

Daryl laughed.

Hershel had loaned him a map and him and Maggie had studied it for some before they took off into the woods. They made it to the creek, where Daryl had been shot, pretty quick but they didn't find the trail right away. It had taken a little over an hour for Daryl to spot traces of a trial once again but even that little bit was a hopeful sign.

Maggie hadn't said a whole lot, which made Daryl happy. He expected her to talk the whole time about ridiculous stuff that he didn't give a rats ass about. Carol wasn't like that either. She was quiet unless she had something to say that needed to be said. The girl was pretty smart too. Not only did she come up with the idea to go on horseback but she also brought some first aid supplies and food and water. The only plan Daryl had was marching into the woods with nothing but his crossbow.

They lost the trail quite a few times but he didn't let that discourage him. He always managed to pick it back up and he was glad to see that it was only Sophia and Carl's trail. So far no Walkers. There was one time he got concerned when he lost their trail and then picked up a larger trail that belonged to a group of people. But the two trails never crossed. He was still apprehensive about the kids being alone in the woods with another group.

He was impressed at how far the two kids had made it. There were two different creeks in the woods and he figured when they had crossed the other one that they had assumed that they were headed back towards the road. It was an easy mistake to make. He'd made it himself when he was a kid.

"I don't get it." T-dog said after a while. "I don't see a damn thing. You sure we're following a trail?"

Daryl just nodded and kept his eyes in front of him. They had covered a lot of ground. "Good call on the horses, Maggie." he muttered. He figured he had to say something.

T-dog rolled his eyes as he tried once more to adjust himself to a more comfortable position on the horse. "Yeah. Great thinking."

Maggie gave a nod but kept her eyes forward. "I just wanna hurry up and get Carol's little girl back to her. Figured this would save us time. And Ricks boy, of course.

Daryl decided right then and there that he liked this girl.

~H~

Sophia froze in the doorway when she heard the mans voice. Carl grabbed her by the shirt sleeve and yanked her back and slammed the door.

"We gotta get outta here." He whispered.

Sophia glared at him and he dropped his hand. She knew that voice. "I'm not going anywhere. He's hurt." She was sure that he was in bad shape too.

"Do you know who that is? Remember when you were talkin' about bad people? Well we just ran into one of the worst ones I've ever met."

"I don't care. He's Daryl's brother. The only family he's got left and Daryl thinks he's gone. I wont leave him in there to die. Stay out here if you're scared. You can keep watch or something."

Carl glanced around anxiously and then nodded. "I'll keep watch. But not because I'm scared." He added. "It's a good idea is all."

Sophia nodded and opened the door. She took her time approaching the bed. She knew what she had told Carl but he had been right. Merle Dixon was one of the scariest men she'd ever met. Scarier than Ed or any of Ed's friends. But he was Daryl's brother and she knew that Daryl would never abandon him. So, scary or not, she was going to help the man.

He was lying on his back but she couldn't get a very good look at him since the room was so dim. There were a few windows but they were covered up with what looked like dirty towels. She yanked them down and then Merle blinked at the brightness.

When his eyes found her they widened and then he frowned. "Why the fuck am I halucinatin' bout you, kid?" he asked in a voice that was barely a whisper. His lips were dry and chapped and she dropped her backpack on the floor and brought out the bottle of water.

"Mr. Dixon," She said gently as she unscrewed the cap, "I need you to sit up a little okay. You need some water."

He just stared at her for a second and then brought his hand up and touched her face. "Well I be damned. You're as real as rain ain'tcha?"

She nodded and then went ahead and slipped her hand under his head and raised it up. She put the bottle to his lips and he drank greedily. He coughed a few times and when he had consumed half of it she eased his head back down onto the dirty mattress.

He felt like he was running a fever. When she looked down she gasped. He had his right arm lying at his side and she had to turn her eyes away from the gruesome sight. His arm didn't end in a hand. It was a black bloody stump. She could see the bone and tendons and from the looks of it it was very infected. She felt sick.

"You're gonna be just fine, Mr. Dixon, okay?" She whispered as she touched his burning forehead with the palm of her hand.

"What the fuck are you doin' out here?" He wheezed.

"I got lost. But your brother's gonna find me. Us, he's coming to find us."

"Huh? The hell'd he be out here lookin for you for? That sorry ass daddy of yours needs to be lookin' hiself."

"He can't, sir. Your brother killed him." She said quietly.

This got more of a reaction out of him than anything she had said so far. He tilted his head to the side and frowned. "My baby brother? He killed your daddy? Goddamn, what else I been missin'?" He asked right before his head fell to one side and he passed out.


	33. Chapter 33

**I went to post this chapter and half of it was missing from my Doc Manager! So I had to rewrite it. Hope you enjoy it. Thank you for reading and reviewing! I know I say that a lot but I do live for the feedback ;) **

Chapter Thirty Three

Daryl eased himself off the horse and cradled his aching side as he approached the papers littering the ground. He picked up a small teddy bear and stuffed it through his belt. This was Sophia's stuff. So why was it dumped out all over the ground in the middle of the woods? But the trail was newer and easier to follow. She made it this far. He'd find her.

"What's the matter?" Maggie asked as she hopped off her own horse and trotted over to his side. "This stuff is Sophia's."

"Nuts." Maggie said with a smile.

Daryl scanned the ground. He had been so panicked when he saw the stuff strewn about that he hadn't taken much notice to anything else. But sure enough the ground was littered with walnuts from a huge tree. "She must have dumped out the stuff so she could fill up the bag and take some food with them." He flashed Maggie a proud smile. He knew that girl was too damn smart to get herself killed out here.

Daryl and Maggie climbed back onto their horses. T-dog had had enough trouble getting on his the first time so he didn't want to get off when the other two did.

"I can't believe how far them kids made it." T-dog mused. "They just kept moving."

"Cause Sophia's smart. You stay still to long out here and it'll get your ass killed. I told Carol that she'd be alright." Daryl gave him a smirk. "Rick probably owes her Carl's life. She's probably the only reason he ain't dead."

"Look at you grinnin' like a proud poppa." T-dog laughed.

Daryl scowled at him. "Shut up." He grumbled.

"Nah, I mean it Dixon. You stepped up. That girl needs a man like you in her life. She's a lucky kid." He frowned. "I can't believe I really just said that about your redneck ass." He shook his head in disgust and Maggie actually laughed.

Daryl just shook his head and kept his eyes on the ground. And here he had been worried about Maggie running her mouth the whole time. He should have known it would be T-dog.

T-dog blew out a frustrated breath. "You didn't even have to wake me up this mornin', you know that? You can find them without me."

Daryl sighed. "And miss out on all this commentary. I guess every man needs a bitchy sidekick. Ain't that right, Tonto?"

"Sidekick?" T-dog snorted. "Man, you'd be my sidekick. My grouchy, scowlin' faced, rude ass sidekick. You just think that the black guy's gotta be the sidekick. In the real world that ain't how it works."

"Is that right?" Daryl grinned.

"Hell yeah." T-dog said as he kept his eyes in front of him.

"How bout next time we stop you hop off that horse then? Since I'm your sidekick I'll help you back on it... Again."

Maggie laughed again as T-dog glared ahead.

"Ya'll have gotta be the most interesting bunch I've ever laid my eyes on." Maggie mused with a grin.

Daryl and T-dog both laughed at that because they knew how true it was.

"Oh, you should have met Daryl before he became so domesticated. You know, he got so pissed off one day that he actually threw dead squirrels at Rick. You shoulda seen Ricks face." T-dog shook his head but Maggie had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

Daryl couldn't help but laugh along with them. "You just make it sound stupid."

"You threw dead animals at a cop, Daryl. That's the most redneck thing I think I ever seen. That's some shit you see on them hidden video shows that come on T.V."

"Do you ever shut up?" Daryl growled.

~H~

Carol was hanging up the laundry she had done when Andrea came strolling towards her. She smiled. "Hey, stranger."

Andrea flashed her a grin, her blonde hair whipping around her face from the wind that had picked up a little while ago. "Hey yourself. I've barely seen you around."

"I've been busy." Carol said dryly. "I've been trying to keep Daryl in bed but you see how good that worked out."

Andrea arched an eyebrow at her and Carol laughed. "That didn't come out right."

"No, it didn't." She laughed. "I heard that he had gone off to round up them kids. I didn't think he would be well enough for that yet."

She gave Andrea a look and then shook her head. "He's not but try telling him that."

"No thanks. I heard all about some of the stuff coming out of his mouth while our host was trying to patch him up. I don't need that aimed at me. I'm fragile." She grinned.

Carol shook out one of Daryl's shirts and hung it up.

"Doesn't that man believe in sleeves?" Andrea asked as she eyed the laundry.

Carol shrugged. "I like it. It's like getting to look at arm porn. That man is hard in all the right places. Almost makes me feel dirty."

Andrea's jaw dropped and her eyes widened at Carol's brazen banter and then she threw her head back and laughed. Carol just giggled, her eyes shining and a blush creeping up on her cheeks.

"I can not believe you just said that!"

"Me neither." Carol sighed.

"So?" Andrea eyed her.

"So what?"

"How is he?"

"Fine I guess. Still sore but good enough to be up and around obviously."

Andrea rolled her eyes dramatically. "That isn't what I meant, Carol. You're so innocent." She laughed.

"What? Oh!" She laughed again. "I have no idea."

"You're kidding?"

Carol smiled and shook out another shirt. "Nope."

Andrea shook her head and started hanging clothes alongside her. It didn't look like anyone had bothered with the laundry since they had been there.

"So, I saw you talking to Shane while I was on watch. What the hell happened to his face? And was it just me or did it look like he was packing for an extended trip?"

Carol sighed as she hung up the last pair of jeans. "He's leaving. Or thinking about leaving anyway. I tried to talk him out of it but I don't know if it worked.

"Why would you even try? After how he acted at the CDC I think him leaving is a good thing."

Carol shook his head. "The man is in pain, Andrea."

She barked out a humorless laugh. "I saw that. What happened to him. Rick finally catch him sleeping with his wife?"

Carol's head snapped up. All she could do was look at her but then she shook her head quickly. "Not that I know of." She lied. She had never been good at lying.

"You're a really crappy liar, Carol. What happened? Did he tell Rick? Did Lori tell Rick?"

Carol shook her head. "I don't know."

Andrea put her hands on her hips and gave Carol that disapproving look that she hated.

"Daryl and I may have overheard Shane and Lori talking last night in one of the sheds. She was being cruel. Just mean to him and then I be damned if she didn't turn right around and tell him she missed him and how they could still have one another. She's got his head all screwed up and the man's heart is in knots."

"Well did he fall for it?" Andrea asked as her face softened in pity.

"I suppose so since they started having sex right there." Carol grimaced.

"You're kidding?" Andrea said with a shake of her head. "So how did Rick... Oh my God! He caught them actually doing it?"

"I could have killed Daryl for that." Carol grumbled.

"Daryl? What did he do?"

"When Rick came out and asked if we'd seen them he pointed the man right to that building and told him that he thought he saw Lori go inside. Sent him right over there to catch them himself. I hate to even try to imagine what he saw."

Andrea was quiet for a little while but then her next words surprised Carol. "Well, good for Daryl. Someone needed to tell him."

"Andrea, he didn't tell him. He caused the man to walk in and _see_ them! There is a big difference."

Andrea shrugged. "That's just Daryl. I'm glad Rick finally knows. But thanks to you I feel pretty bad for Shane."

"Me too. And if Daryl knew that I talked him out of leaving, if I actually did talk him out of leaving, then he would be so mad."

"The wrath of Daryl Dixon wont be too bad. He'll stomp around and throw one of his fits and then you'll kiss and make up."

Carol just laughed. She hoped so.

~H~

Sophia wished there was more she could do for the man but right now there wasn't much that could be done. She picked up her bag and the water bottle and went outside. Carl was sitting next to the step with his knees pulled up, his arms draped across them.

"How is he?" He asked.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Like you care." She grumbled as she took the rocks out of her bag and started cracking walnuts.

"I never said I didn't care. I just didn't think it was worth the risk. I don't care who his brother is. He isn't Daryl. He's a lot worse than Daryl."

"I don't care. He's someone that needs help and I be damned if I'm going to let you talk me out of helping him."

Carl just shook his head and looked away angrily. "What's with the nuts. We already ate."

"He hasn't." She snapped.

"So now we waste our food on him? That's smart. What did you do, give him the last of our water too?"

She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "You know what? It wasn't our water, you jerk. It was my water that came from my bag. And yes I gave it to him. He's dehydrated."

"Are you crazy?" He stood up and stared at her in disbelief. "Sophia, we don't know when we'll find more water and you wasted it on someone like _Merle Dixon?_"

Sophia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Usually Carl was pretty cool. They were always together and there was always something to do with him around. But now he was acting like the type of person that would just walk away and let a man die. Just because his dad didn't like him much. And who was he to think he could tell her what to do with her own stuff? She felt herself getting angry. And she sort of liked it. She had spent so much time only being scared and powerless. But this new emotion made her feel like she was in control.

"I swear to God Carl if you don't shut up..." She said harshly.

"No. All I've done since we've been lost is listen to you. We could have been back by now if you weren't suck a chicken! Those people could have helped us but you're afraid of everything. So here we are, still lost and now we're lost with nothing to even drink because you have to go and give it to that crazy..."

Sophia clenched her fist and swung. It connected with Carl's jaw and he cried out and stepped back a few feet. "Shut. Up." She spat as she glared at him. "And you need to remember something Carl Grimes. It was me that's kept _your_ ass alive out here. Not the other way around and you best not forget that. I'm gonna do what I can for Merle until Daryl shows up. And if you have a problem with that then you can go find the road your damn self."

Carl kept his hand pressed against his jaw and stared at her with wide blue eyes. She couldn't believe she had just done that but she wasn't going to tell him she was sorry. Truthfully she wasn't sorry at all. She was mad. And one of the reason's she was so mad was because he was right and she hated that he was right. She was a chicken. She was always scared of everything. She was scared of Ed and she was even scared of Merle. She was always too scared to be too far away from her mom and she was afraid of the Walkers. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to help Merle and now she was afraid that Carl would take her up on her offer and leave. She was learning how to put on a brave face and act like she wasn't scared but that's all it was. An act.

She stalked past him and went back to work cracking the walnuts for Merle. It would keep her hands busy and maybe for once Carl would just shut his stupid mouth. She worked silently as Carl returned to his place by the wall. He watched her but he didn't say anything. She could see him staring at her from the corner of her eye but she didn't acknowledge him.

There was a zippered pocket on the front of her bag and that's where she stored the shelled nuts. It was nearly full by the time she heard Merle's mumbling voice once more. She stood up, picked up the bag and marched wordlessly back into the shack.

He raised his head up when she came in. He didn't look much better but he didn't look much worse either so she thought that was a good sign.

"Figured you'da took off on ol' Merle, girl. The hell ya still doin' here?" His voice wasn't so raspy anymore.

She gave him a tight smile and came to his side to kneel down and give him a drink. The back of his head still felt hot.

When he laid his head back down he watched her warily. "Ya gonna answer my question?"

"I'm still here cause I don't have anywhere else to be at the moment. And I'm not leaving you alone here."

He rolled his eyes. "Shoulda took you with me to Atlanta then. Maybe I wouldn't be in this shape."

She glanced at his stump and then away again. "You hungry, Mr. Dixon?"

He gave her a sarcastic smile and then pulled himself up into a sitting position, turning his legs so he could lean against the wall while his feet were planted firmly on the floor next to her. "Fuckin' starved lil Miss. You cook ol' Merle up some steaks or somethin'?"

She smiled sheepishly. "All I got is walnuts. But they aren't bad. I'm kinda sick of them though."

"Whatever works, girl. Hand'em over." he held out one large hand and the hand full that she poured into his palm didn't look like much. He popped them in his mouth and chewed slowly as he looked at her with a quizzical expression on his face. "How long you been out here?" He asked.

"Three days."

He stopped chewing and pulled his head up away from the wall. "And my brother ain't found you yet?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"Huh. And you sure he's lookin'?

She nodded. "He wouldn't leave me out here." She said quietly.

"Girl, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if my baby brother was lookin' for ya, you'da been found by now."

She shook her head. If what Merle said was true then that meant that he was dead. She knew if he was breathing he would be scouring the woods until he found her. "It's just taking him longer because me and Carl keep moving. That's all." She sat the bag up next to him so he could eat as much as he wanted without her having to hand them to him.

"Ain't never met a man that can track like my brother. He's like a goddamn bloodhound kid. I'm tellin' ya, he ain't lookin' or your asses woulda been found."

"Then he's dead. Those Walkers must have got him." She whispered. She felt the tears fill her eyes and then overflow but she kept her face expressionless.

He froze mid chew. "What Walkers?"

"The ones me and Carl were running from. It's how we got here. They were all over the road and one of them got into the R.V."

"And you're sure he'd look for ya? You ain't his kid. He wouldn't risk his neck for ya. I know I wouldn't if I was in his place. You ain't gonna start ballin' now are ya? I don't know how to deal with squallin' kids."

"Go to hell, Merle." She hissed as she stood up.

His eyes widened.

"You don't know him as good as you think you do."

"Now calm your ass girl. I didn't mean nothin' by it. God damn. I did miss some shit since I been gone ain't I? You'd never have said a word to me before, let alone curse my poor pitiful ass to the pits. Sit back down now. Talk to me."

He popped some more walnuts into his mouth and she sat back down on the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"You say he killed your daddy?"

She nodded, not trusting her voice anymore.

"How?"

She sighed. "I heard the others talking about it." She made a face. "They said he stabbed him in the stomach with a tent stake about twenty times."

Merle choked and she hurriedly handed him the rest of the water. He drank it quickly and then stared at her. "Are you sure?" He asked when he could finally speak again.

She nodded.

"What the hell would he go and do somethin' fucked up like that for?"

"Ed was trying to kill my mom." She said deadpan.

Merle continued to stare at her for a while before he said anything else. "So Ed was offin' your momma and my baby brother gutted him for it?"

She nodded.

"I suppose that sounds about like him. To protect your momma, I mean. But I never pegged him for a mutilator."

Sophia pulled the bag off the bed and stood up.

"Don't go off and leave me, girl." He mumbled as his eyes closed.

"I wont. Even though I think you're a real ass, Merle Dixon." She muttered.

He smiled. "I think you and me is gonna get along just fine, Darlin. You got spunk. I like that shit."

Sophia frowned at him and then walked towards the door. She stopped when Carl ran in, eyes wild.

"Walkers!" He panted.

Sophia rushed around him and sure enough there were two approaching the shack. From the looks of them they either seen Carl or smelled the blood from Merle's stump. "Shit." She slammed the door shut and glanced over her shoulder to scan the wall with the tools.

"Get the fuck outta here, girl." Merle hissed as he tried to sit up. It was a wasted effort. He had spent all his energy and now he couldn't even raise himself off the bed.

Carl looked like he was about to crap his pants. "Let's go, Sophia. If we make a run for it we can get away."

"Shut up!" She growled. Her eyes scanned the wall of tools. There were a lot of things she could use but she needed something that wouldn't take much strength. She ran to the wall and dismissed most of the items quickly. She couldn't used a hammer because she wasn't strong enough and the ax on the floor was out of the question. And then she had it. A ten inch bowie knife was hanging from a nail above the narrow counter. She yanked it down.

"Get out!" Merle nearly yelled, his eyes wild. "You stupid ass kid! You gonna die in here with me? Go!"

"No!" She turned on him, knife in hand and his hard angry eyes bore into hers. "I'm not letting you die in here." She turned to Carl, "Open the door." She growled. The knife felt slick in her hand but she held onto it. She wanted to run screaming into the woods and never look back. She wanted to be safe in the truck next to Daryl knowing everything was fine as long as he was there.

She took and deep breath and Carl opened the door. The first one was actually on the step and she threw caution to the wind and ran forward. The knife went in easily enough since her aim was off and she hit it in the mouth instead of the eye the way she had seen Carl do in the camper. But the blade was long enough that it went cleanly through the base of it's skull on the other side. She pulled the knife free and scurried back just as the thing fell forwards.

She wasn't sure if it was Carl or Merle who cried out because the blood pounding in her ears was deafening. She looked up in time to see the other one wasn't far behind. Fortunately for her it was so focused on her that it stumbled right over the corpse of it's companion and fell over the body. Sophia let out a strangled yell, brought the knife up with both hands and plunged it as hard as she could into it's head. She left the knife in it's head and stumbled back a few feet, right into Carl. His arm came around her waist to steady her. She turned to look at Merle and he was staring at her with wide feverish eyes.

"You shoulda gotten your ass outta here." He wheezed. He didn't look like he was going to stay awake much longer.

"I said I wasn't going to let you die." She said in a voice that cracked and wavered and then she felt tears sliding down her cheeks. She could have just died. All three of them could have. Merle's eyes slid closed and then she turned and buried her face in Carl's shoulder and felt a loud sob try to escape her throat.

He hugged her back for a long time until it stopped feeling comfortable and started feeling awkward. She pulled away and wiped her eyes.

Carl's blue eyes were huge as they met hers. "Are you okay?"

She took a deep breath and then nodded. "We gotta get these bodies out. I'll keep watch with you."

He nodded and then the two of them both grabbed a foot and struggled with the body. They both cringed as they touched it but they heaved and pulled it down the step and towards the trees so they wouldn't have to look at it anymore.


	34. Chapter 34

** I hope you are all happy with this chapter! All the reviews I woke up too were incredible and I love you all for keeping the ideas flowing. I'm a reader pleaser and knowing you all like this story so much keeps me writing and writing and... well... you get the picture. So thank you all for keeping this going! Hope you all have a good morning! =)**

Chapter Thirty Four

"This was a big camp. A lot bigger than ours." Daryl said as him and T-dog stood in a clearing. He had spotted it while following the trail. A much fresher trail than he'd found so far.

"You didn't find anything that would make you think they went after Sophia and Carl do you?" T-dog asked worriedly.

Daryl shook his head. "No but the kids saw this camp too. That's what made me look over here."

T-dog crossed his arms and gazed at him skeptically. "Now I can admit that you're pretty damn good at all this outdoorsy shit, Dixon, but how the hell would you know if the kids saw this or not?"

"Cause, Tonto. They stopped over there for a while. Shuffled around for a bit. If they did that then somethin' must have caused them to stop. So I figure they saw the camp and might have talked about comin' over here for some help."

"But they didn't?"

Daryl shook his head. "Sophia most likely talked Carl out of it."

T-dog scoffed. "Let me guess, you can tell that from the tracks right?"

"Nope. But out of the two of them who's gonna be the one more cautious when it comes to people?"

T-dog just stared at him and then nodded his head. "Damn. I guess I am the sidekick. Son of a bitch."

Daryl slapped him on the back as he walked past him. "Come on, Tonto. I'll help you back on your horse."

"Find anything?" Maggie asked as Daryl actually did help poor T-dog back on the horse.

"There was a pretty big camp over there a ways. Looks like they packed up and moved on early. Fire pits ain't even cold yet."

"What about the kids?" Maggie asked worriedly.

Daryl shook his head. "They went this way." He led them away from the abandoned camp.

"Why would there be so many people in the woods? Ain't they worried about those things that are out there?" Maggie asked.

Daryl shook his head. "From what we can tell all the Walkers stick to more populated areas. The whole time we were all camped out we only saw a couple till our last night."

T-dog grimaced. "And then that last night there were probably fifty or more. We lost two of our own."

Daryl nodded. "It's like there startin' to run in packs now."

They rode on for a while in silence until Daryl stopped. Maggie and then T-dog followed suit. "Holy shit." Daryl mumbled.

"What?" Maggie whispered as she followed his gaze.

"Tree stand." he pointed and then the others saw what he had seen.

"The hell is a tree stand?" T-dog asked.

Daryl and Maggie both turned their heads and gave him a look.

"What the hell. I'm from the city. I don't know what a damn tree stand is."

Daryl shook his head. "It's something hunters use so they can wait up high for a deer to come by." He nudged the horses flank and it trotted down the hill. "And this is where they must have slept." he said mostly to himself as he guided the horse around the tree. "The tracks leadin' away are just a few hours old. We almost got'em." He looked up grinning and then took off at a gallop, Maggie right on his heels and T-dog cursing them both as he bounced around wildly as his own horse joined the others.

They slowed down so T-dog could work on righting himself. He was nearly hanging off the horses side, the saddle had slipped a little and sat at an odd angle. They kept their pace more subdued after that even though Daryl wanted to race ahead of them. His heart was racing in his chest and he took a few deep breaths to steady himself but then finally there was a break in the trees and he saw a flash of blue. He stopped the horse and squinted.

Sure enough, a few hundred yards away there was some sort of shack and sitting against the wall with her legs crossed was Sophia. His breath came out in a rush and then he was racing forwards. He nearly jumped off the horse while it was still moving. Sophia took off towards him at a sprint that seemed more suited for a marathon. Carl was running too but she was ahead of him and she was flying.

He knelt down a bit and she almost jumped into his arms. It wasn't until her arms were wrapped securely around his neck that he realized that he had actually harbored a little bit of doubt that he'd find her. But everything was fine now.

"What took you so long?" She asked into his shoulder.

"Got shot, kid." he said in a thick voice. "Had to take a few days to heal."

She leaned back with her hands on his shoulders. "Shane actually shot you?"

He laughed and shook his head. "I swear, I thought the same thing. But he didn't do it. Some kid was huntin' dear. It was an accident."

He tore his eyes away from hers long enough to catch Carl staring at Maggie and T-dog. When he saw Daryl looking at him he shook his head slightly. "Where's my dad?" He asked.

"He didn't come. He's been in the woods for two days searchin' though. He was gonna come out with Glen this afternoon."

The boy looked disappointed but he nodded and walked towards T-dog who had jumped down from his horse once more.

"Daryl, I have something to show you." She pulled away and took his hand, leading him towards the shack.

"What is it?" He asked quietly feeling uneasy for some reason.

"You gotta see for yourself." She said with a slight smile.

She stepped into the room and it only took him a few seconds for his eyes to find him. Daryl dropped Sophia's hand and all he could do was stare.

"Well I'll be damned. The girl was right. How you been little brother?"

Daryl couldn't find his voice. Merle was right there, alive, if not well. He should have been thrilled. He was only numb. Staring down at Merle like a dumb ass. He thought of T-dog outside. He thought of Carol back at the farm. He thought about Rick and Glen. He thought about everything he had gained in the short amount of time that Merle had been gone. And he couldn't help but feel like he was being cheated. Like all the things that were important to him now were being stolen from him. He had wanted his brother back. He still did. But did he want to pay the price? His eyes traveled down to the stump that lay at Merle's side.

"Sophia, go tell Maggie to bring up that first aid kit, okay. You stay with Carl. I'll be out in a minute." He didn't look at her.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly.

"Just go, Sophia."

She walked away but he could still feel her worried eyes on him until she shut the door behind her.

Merle raised up slowly, giving him a strange look. "You stayed with those people?" He asked harshly. "After what they did to me? Your own brother? Your blood?"

"We went back. Me, Rick, Glen, T-dog. We all went back to get you."

"Is that right? Came back for me huh? And how long did it take ya'll to leave camp? You and all your new buddies?"

"It wasn't nothin' like that. The camp got overrun." Daryl didn't like the way he sounded. Like he had to convince Merle.

"Good. I hope everyone of them mother fuckers got chewed on." Merle spat.

Anger flashed through him at that. He took a step forward then and glared down at Merle. "If you said somethin' like that to that girl, I swear to God, Merle, I'll make you regret it."

Merle held up his hands with a smirk on his face. Daryl backed up at the sight of the stump. "Calm down, little brother. I owe that lil lady. But what's goin' on here? You got a thing for little girls now?"

Daryl scowled. "What the fuck's wrong with you?"

The door opened then and Maggie stepped in. The sun was hitting her back and causing a halo around the girl. Merle squinted and then his eyebrows shot up as she shut the door. She was holding the bag that she had brought with the first aid supplies.

She looked from Daryl to Merle and gave him a once over. "You're Merle." She stated flatly.

"And you're a vision in a dream, darlin'. A real wet one." He chuckled at his own joke.

Daryl groaned and then shot an apologetic look at Maggie but she wasn't looking at him. Her face was hard as she stared at Merle and then she walked right up to him and placed her hand on his head. When she pulled her hand back she nodded stiffly.

"You got yourself a fever there, Merle. And so I'm gonna pretend that that's the reason you said that."

"Honey you can pretend whatever you want." He grinned.

She dropped the bag at his feet and then knelt down to go through it. She pulled out a bottle of pills and Merle's eyes lit up. "What'cha got there?" He asked eagerly.

"Hopefully somethin' that'll shut you up." She said dryly. She shook out a few of the pills and handed them over with some water. "Take these for the pain. We'll have to figure out a way to get you back to the farm."

"I'll be back." Daryl grumbled. "Yell if he tries anything."

"He tries anything then you'll be hearin' him do the yellin'." She mumbled as she examined his stump.

Daryl shot Merle one more annoyed look and then stomped out the door. He hated himself for feeling this way. Sophia was right there, back pressed against the wall as she waited for him to come back out. He sat down heavily on the step. T-dog and Carl were making their way towards them and he had to shake his head.

"What are we going to do about Merle?" She asked as she came to sit in front of him with her back against his knees. Her closeness was uncoiling the tension in his muscles and he reached out to put one hand on her shoulder. She instantly took his hand and held it tightly.

"I'm studyin' on that, kid. I just don't know." he said softly.

"You think he's gonna be the same." She asked.

He shook his head. "No, I really don't." He sighed. "I think he's gonna be a lot worse."

"He said you wouldn't come for me cause I wasn't yours." She said sadly and the anger that bubbled up from the pit of his stomach was enough to set his teeth on edge.

"Merle has a real fucked up world view, kid. That's how he is and so he thinks I'm the same."

"But you're not like him." She muttered.

He wished he could see her face. "No. I ain't. And he's gonna have a real tough time dealin' with that."

She turned around so she was in front of him, her hands on his knees. "Then he can get over it." She snapped. She sounded angry but her eyes were actually fearful. "You can't go back to that. The way you were before. Before my mom. You have to keep from doing that, Daryl. I need you." Her eyes suddenly filled with tears and she threw herself at him.

Carl and T-dog had stopped and turned away. Giving them what privacy they could offer them. Daryl's arm came up tight around her back and he cradled the back of her head with his hand as she clung to his neck. She didn't sob. She just stayed very still with her forehead pressed against the center of his chest. And while she stayed there like that, her stillness was an oasis to his pounding heart.

Just as her mother before her, she was saying things to him that he never thought he would hear anyone say and it was a scary thing. Carol loved him. Sophia needed him. Two simple things that were probably so easy for other people to accept, but they boggled his mind. Filled him with a strange combination of dread and elation. And then there was Merle.

Merle, who would demand Daryl's loyalty. His brother. His blood. And right now the one thing that could doom this new world he found himself belonging too. A world that he found himself eager to defend. Where Merle did nothing but take, Carol and Sophia gave. They gave him solace and they gave him hope. He wanted to be better for them not because they demanded it from him but because he knew they deserved better than what he had been. They regarded him with quiet acceptance. Merle was his blood. There was no denying that but Daryl was starting to realize that blood only ran skin deep. That woman and this kid somehow had burrowed themselves much deeper than that. And he was going to keep them there. Merle could try to pull him back. What Merle didn't understand was that it wasn't going to be so easy anymore. Daryl had something to fight for now that he didn't have back then. And there was not too many things more dangerous in this world than a man that was desperate to protect what was his.

He felt her warmth seeping into his shirt just as the realization that she was here and safe seeped into his heart and he noticed his hands were shaking. He rested his forehead against her hair and blew out a shaky breath. "I missed the hell outta you, kid." He said, not caring at the moment that it wasn't a very Daryl thing to say.

She didn't say anything back but her arms tightened around his neck. That was all the confirmation he needed. She must have kind of missed him too.


	35. Chapter 35

**So, here is the second installment for the day. Thanks, again, for reading and reviewing! =) I know that some of you are a little worried about Merle. I hope this helps ease your mind a bit! **

Chapter Thirty Five

Sophia, after a long time had passed, finally lifted her head. She hadn't cried. She had shed a few tears but she wouldn't let herself cry anymore. Crying never got a person anywhere. She didn't look at him because she knew that sometimes he didn't like people looking at him and she felt a little stupid for acting like such a little girl. But she felt his finger under her chin and then he lifted her face up.

He looked her in the eye for a few long seconds before he looked away towards T-dog and Carl. "Ain't nothin' changin', alright?" He said in a low voice. "It'll be hard for a while but we'll get past it. Eventually."

She nodded, keeping her eyes on his as she untangled her arms from around his neck. A part of her wished that she had listened to Carl and just took off. She trusted Daryl and she knew if he said that things weren't going to change then they wouldn't. But she had to wonder what he meant about things being hard for a while. Hadn't he had it hard enough already? He deserved some peace just like her and her mom did.

"How's my mom?" She asked instead of voicing her other concerns.

He smirked. "How do you think?"

"Well, she should have known that you'd find me. I hear you're like a bloodhound. Best tracker in the world." She grinned and then stood up.

"Is that right?"

"Yeah. Everyone knows that if comes from the mouth of Merle Dixon then it must be the truth." She smirked.

Everyone turned to the door when Maggie stepped out. She didn't seem too mad, which Sophia took as a good sign. She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes and then crossed her arms. "We have to get him outta here. He's runnin' a high fever. He's talking out of his head in there."

Sophia shook her head. "No, he's just like that. I'm sure he isn't talking out of his head."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Lord help us all then." She looked down at Sophia and smiled. "He's actually askin' for you."

Sophia sighed but headed towards the door but then she felt Daryl's heavy hand on her shoulder pulling her back.

"No." He said quietly.

She turned to look at him but he was glaring towards the door. "Daryl, I've been with him all day. He ain't so bad."

Maggie watched them with a small smile on her face, her arms crossed in front of her. "Daryl, I think we need to talk about how we can get him out of here. You'll be right here if she needs you. He really was gushin' over the girl. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Merle? Gushin'?" Daryl snorted but dropped his hand from her shoulder. "He must be talkin' out of his head then."

Sophia took this as permission so she walked towards the shack. Merle was sitting up and he looked better. To her he did anyway but so far she was the only one that had seen him this morning and then he looked like he was half dead.

"There ya are. The hell took ya so long?" He asked as his eyes flashed to the door. "My brother let you come by yourself?"

She nodded. "Did you need me for somethin'?" She asked as she put her hands on her hips. She was still mad about what he had said earlier.

He patted the spot next to him on the bed and she sat down. Thankfully she was sitting on is left side so there wouldn't be a chance she would have to look at that stump. Every time she saw it she felt bad for him and she didn't want to feel bad for Merle. She was glad that she was able to help him but Merle was somebody that could ruin everything for her and her mom and she couldn't really find much like for the man at the moment.

"So you and my brother are pretty close, huh?" He asked casually.

Her guard went up instantly. She shrugged. "He's pretty nice."

"Nice, huh? He risked his own ass to scour these woods lookin' for ya, girl. That's a bit more than nice if ya ask me."

"For one, I didn't ask you. And for two, a lot of people would have done the same thing. Just cause you could let a few kids die in the woods without blinking an eye doesn't mean that other people would. Especially your brother."

Merle regarded her with a serious expression before finally he grinned. "Ya know somethin', I think me and you is gonna get along just fine."

"That's a scary thought." She said dryly as she went to stand up. He stopped her with a hot hand on her wrist. She wasn't afraid. Not with Daryl right outside but she was curious because he had that serious look on his face again.

"I need to thank ya, girl. I ain't the nicest person in the world and I ain't never offered to do a damn thing for ya back at camp. Never even crossed my mind too. But you came in here and tried to take care of me the best ya could. And Ol' Merle here don't forget things like that. You gave me water and you fed me and you stayed when it woulda been a lot smarter to move on. I owe you one. I spose you wanna get real technical bout it, I owe ya more than one. I woulda been chow if not for you. Sittin' pretty in a Walkers gut by now. I owe ya, lil miss. And I pay my debts."

She sat back down but his hand stayed on her wrist. It was rough and calloused and she had to wonder how much pain those hands had brought to others. And yet she was still unafraid. He meant what he said and she saw an opportunity to try to make things okay with these new developments. She pulled her wrist out of his grip but she didn't move it away from him. Instead she took his hand in hers and studied it. When she glanced over at his face he was studying her curiously.

She looked back down at his hand in hers and studied it for a long time before she finally spoke. "Do you really mean that?" She glanced up again.

He nodded, his expression serious. "I do."

She nodded and covered the top of his hand with her other one. "Then will you try?" She whispered.

"Try what, girl?"

She looked back up at him. "You have to try to stop. Stop bein' so bad all the time. Try to fit in with our group. Try to forgive and forget. You do that and I'll call us even."

"I don't think ya know what your askin' me, girl. Them people left me for dead. Do I need to show you what I had to do to myself to get off that roof? I don't owe them sons of bitches a fuckin' thing."

His voice was filled with a quiet anger that had her looking up once more. "Merle," She whispered, "You and all your meanness can mess everything up for me. You don't even know it but it's true. I think I've earned some peace and the only way I can have it is if you try to help me. Can you please just try?"

He looked like he was in pain again. Maybe it was the fever or the medicine he had gotten from Maggie but finally he gave her a stiff nod. "Try bein' the key word, you hear? And we don't bring this up again. I don't need all these dumb mother fuckers thinkin' I done gone all pussy over some little girl and her big sad eyed bullshit. I owe you one. That's all this is."

She just nodded, somehow knowing that if she gave him anymore thanks than that it may just make things worse on him. She didn't know how her mom had changed Daryl so fast but she was going to work on this horrible rotten man until he softened himself up a bit. Being as hateful as him couldn't be very healthy. She was starting to reconsider her own new appreciation for anger.

She got to the door and then turned around when she remembered something that he may need to know about so he wasn't caught off guard. "Merle?"

He looked up, with an unhappy expression on his face. "Yeah?"

"T-dog is outside." She raised her eyebrows as his face transformed into a steely mask. "Remember, you said you would try."

She dashed out the door but she heard him before she pulled it shut.

"Goddamn it, Sophia!"

~H~

"There has to be another way." Maggie hissed at him.

Daryl just shook his head. "There ain't. Us three men all weigh a lot more than you do. It would be too hard on the horses. Carl with T-dog, Sophia with me and You..."

"With Merle." She grumbled.

Daryl couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl but really it was the only way they could do it. Merle was already sitting on the horse and Daryl could tell he was enjoying himself up there waiting for the girl to crawl up in front of him. She had wrapped the stump as best she could but Hershel was going to have his hands full when they got back. Maggie had told him that she had never seen anything that bad in her life. At least they had all of Milton's stuff and Milton himself.

Maggie walked towards Merle with a determined step and Daryl climbed up on his own horse. He pulled Sophia up by her hands and sat her down in front of him. The kid didn't weigh anything.

"Merle!" Maggie turned her head and glared at him from over her shoulder.

Merle gave her a straight faced look, like he had no idea what her problem could be.

She reached back and grabbed his left arm and wrapped it around her waist. "You keep it right there, you hear me? If I feel you inchin' that hand up again I'm gonna chew it off."

Daryl shook his head. Poor Maggie. Merle was already trying to cop a feel and they hadn't even taken off yet. "We ready yet?" He called.

Merle shot him a look and winked. Daryl ignored him and started on there way back. He felt like he hadn't seen Carol in a week and he knew that she would worry all day. She put on a brave face but she was still afraid he wouldn't find Sophia and he was in a hurry to give her her daughter back.

He had been worried about how Merle would react when he found out T-dog, the one that had actually dropped the key to the hand cuffs, was right outside. But when Merle had come out the door he didn't even look in T-dogs direction. He just walked right up to the horse that Maggie had pointed out to him and sat there without a word. He still watched him warily though. He knew Merle and he knew that Merle would hold them all responsible for his hand. Maybe even Daryl himself.

They were making good time when suddenly Maggie stopped her horse completely and looked back at Merle again. "Really?"

He smiled. "I've kept my hand right where you told me too, sugar."

"Your hand ain't what I'm talkin' about you nasty pervert," She growled from between clenched teeth.

Before Merle could even open his mouth to reply Daryl covered Sophia's ears with his hands.

"What? That?" he shook his head. "You've been bouncin' on it for a while now. I'm surprised it's taken this long to respond. Must be the fever. Pretty impressive, huh?" He grinned.

"Jesus, Merle!" Daryl groaned.

"What? Have you seen this girls ass?" Merle looked put out that anyone would blame him.

Maggie finally got over her outrage and got her horse to moving again so Daryl took his hands off Sophia's ears and followed with T-dog and Carl bringing up the rear. Everyone was eager to get back to the farm. But probably no one as eager as poor Maggie.

~H~

Carol was fidgeting. He had left out at dawn and it was close to dusk now. Anything could have happened to him out there. She had her knees pulled up and was picking at the frays around a hole in the knee of her jeans.

"He's fine, Carol." Shane said without looking up. He had been sitting on the steps with her for a while now. He hadn't left yet which she considered a good thing.

Even Andrea had gone out of her way to be kind to the man. She had left them a little while ago to go on a walk with her sister. She apparently felt that it was important to have a talk with the girl since it seemed as though her and Glen were getting much closer than Andrea was comfortable with. Carol on the other hand thought that it was pretty sweet.

"You know, them kids have been out there for three days now. They wouldn't have sat still either so Daryl has to make up for three days worth of travel. And that's why he ain't back yet. You know him. He ain't gonna stop till he finds them. He's too damn stupid to think about himself." He smirked. " And you look real good in that sweater, and he's missin' out on it."

Carol shot him a dirty look but he just winked at her and grinned. He was kidding and she knew it so she was able to smile back. She really did want things to get better for him. She had seen very little of Lori or Rick all day. Rick had taken Glen and searched again but she knew they wouldn't turn up much. The search was in the right hands now. Daryl was the only one she had faith in for a job of this caliber.

"Hey."

She looked up at Shane. "What?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Thanks." he said as he looked away.

"For what?" She asked quietly. He was looking sad again.

"For today. I know once Dixon gets back you wont really be around as much. And that's okay cause I wouldn't blame him for wantin' me as far away from you as I could get. But thanks for bein' there. He's the luckiest son of a bitch I know." he laughed and then leaned back on his elbows with his legs dangling off the step.

"Shane, he wouldn't try to make me stay away from you. So long as you aren't trying to kiss me anymore."

He laughed and a little of that cockiness returned. "You didn't like it at all?"

Carol arched an eyebrow at him and shook her head. "No. I did not."

He shook his head. "Must be losin' my touch."

"It happens." She said dryly.


	36. Chapter 36

**It's about time. I've been waiting to be able to post this chapter! I'm a sucker for the happy stuff =) I'm glad this one ended up being a morning chapter. Maybe it can brighten your day. Unless you are completely disappointed, of course, and in that case, my apologies! But I really don't think you will be. I hope not. I'm going to shut up now before I make myself go read it again. Thank you for reading and reviewing =)**

Chapter Thirty Six

Andrea invited Shane to play a game of poker with the others at camp. He accepted gladly. She had known not to even ask Carol. It was almost dark now and she didn't know from what direction they would emerge from the woods. They could be anywhere.

She heard quiet footsteps coming around from the back of the house but she knew that it wasn't Daryl. She wouldn't have heard him at all. She laid her head down on her knees and tried to force herself not to worry. But it was taking too long. If he would have found the kids then he would have been back by now. But he was still out there and Sophia was still out there and now there wasn't anyone around to distract her from her troubled thoughts. She felt tears stinging her eyes and she tried to will them away but they just kept coming.

"Hey, mom."

Carol lifted her head. She was afraid to turn around. Afraid that she had imagined the sound of Sophia's voice. The sound had been so soft that it could have been the wind that was sighing through the trees. If she turned around and there was no one there it would crush her.

"Damn, woman. Thought you'd be happier to see us."

That was most definitely not the wind. Her head came around quickly and sure enough, standing by the corner of the house was Daryl and Sophia. He was behind the girl with his hands on her shoulders. He gave Sophia a stiff push and he gave Carol a smirk and then she was running to meet the girl halfway. She dropped to her knees as Sophia reached her and when the girls slender arms wrapped around her neck she thought her heart would explode. Her daughter was alive. She breathed in the familiar scent of her. a scent she hadn't been sure she would ever smell again. But here she was, living and breathing and in her arms. She hadn't realized how empty she had been until Sophia had her arms around her. She could hardly catch her breath and she had to keep blinking back the tears that filled her eyes.

She looked up at Daryl who was now leaning against the corner of the house with his arms folded across his chest and his feet crossed at the ankles, watching them. There was nothing she could ever do to repay him for what he had done. No one should ever have to go through something like losing a child but she had. And he, against some pretty bad odds, had brought her daughter back to her when even she had almost given up hope.

Sophia pulled away when the screen door banged against the wall as someone charged out. It was Rick. He stopped on the top step and took in the scene before him and then he ran towards them and scooped Carol up in a crushing hug, spun her around twice and then sat her back down on her feet. Sophia was next and then he approached Daryl.

Daryl put his hands up. "Rick, if you pick me up and spin me around like that I swear to God brother, I'll black your other eye."

Rick just laughed and held out his hand while Daryl gave him a warning look. He took Ricks hand but then Rick used it to pull Daryl in for an actual hug. He looked so mortified that Carol and Sophia both laughed. Rick pulled back and then grasped Daryl by the shoulders, giving him a serious look. "You brought my son back to me. There ain't nothin' I can do to repay you for that. Not a thing."

Daryl was obviously struggling for words and eventually he just nodded. He looked relieved when Rick finally let go of his shoulders. When Rick had rushed back into the house Carol decided that it was her turn to thank him. But when she finally reached him she couldn't find her voice. He pulled her closer and smiled down at her.

"I don't even know what to say." She shook her head slowly. There was nothing she could say.

He just shrugged. "Ain't nothin' too say."

She decided to stop trying to say anything and opted for hugging him instead. He held her there for a long time with his face buried in her shoulder.

"Let's get this girl fed. And showered. She stinks." Daryl said as he raised his head and pushed her away gently.

The three of them filed in and Carol could hear a commotion coming from one of the rooms. A gruff male voice rang out clearly and to her surprise it was Sophia who responded first.

"Damn it." She hissed and then took off towards the voice.

Carol stared after her. "What the hell is going on?" She asked, eyes wide.

Daryl let out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "There's somethin' I ain't told you about yet."

"Oh, what now?" She felt her nerves start to fray again.

He put his hands on her hips and looked her in the eyes. "Sophia kinda ran into someone in the woods this mornin'. But I don't want you to worry alright? It ain't gonna change nothin'. It ain't gonna change us."

"This sounds really bad, Daryl."

"Sophia found my brother." he said quietly.

She felt her muscles tense. She didn't mean for them too. All she saw in her mind was Daryl back at camp. Never as cruel as Merle had been but indifferent. He was nothing then like he was now. Merle had been gone less than week before Daryl, the real Daryl, started to show. How could she not worry? And then the rest of his words sank in. "Sophia?"

He nodded. "She found him in a shack in the woods. He was about dead. She gave him her water and she fed him walnuts." He smirked. "And she stayed with him. Carl tried to talk her into leavin' so she punched him in the face. I think I've been a bad influence on her. She killed two Walkers. They would have killed him if she hadn't, killed them all."

"Sophia? She had to kill Walkers?" Carol felt like she was going to be sick. "Is that where she just went? She went to Merle?" Carol asked, unable to keep the shock from her voice.

They both made their way down the hallway where the yelling had been coming from. They both paused in the doorway to the only room with it's door ajar. Both looked in and froze. Milton was quickly injecting something into Merle's arm as Hershel unwound the gauze that covered what must have been his stump. He was red faced and sweating but Sophia was there. She had her hand on the side of his face, keeping his head pointed towards her. He actually reached out with a shaking hand and tucked her hair behind her ears. The girl smiled at him and said something. He nodded and let his hand drop back down to the bed.

"Seems to me like you and your momma have a soothing effect on these Dixon men, little lady." Hershel said as he glanced over at Sophia.

Sophia smiled at him but said nothing as she kept her hand there on Merle's face. When she spoke to him her soft voice didn't reach the doorway. Carol was surprised when Sophia looked up when Milton was about to inject something else into Merle and she grabbed his wrist.

"What is that?" She demanded, pointing to the syringe.

Milton hesitated, clearly as surprised as Carol had been at the girls tone. "It's an Antibiotic. His infection had spread to his bloodstream. This will help with that."

She nodded and let go of the man, returning her hand to Merle's face. "It woulda helped if you hadn't banged his arm against the table. The two of you should be more careful." She said sternly. She watched both men as they worked over Merle, her expression was, for lack of a better word, protective. What in the hell was going on here? Carol was confused and from the look on Daryl's face, so was he.

"He's passed out." Sophia said with wide eyes.

Hershel shook his head. "No he hasn't. We needed to sedate him so we can work on this mess." He gestured to the mangled stump.

"Do I have time to eat and take a shower before he wakes back up?" She asked as she finally took her hand away from him.

Hershel and Milton shared a look and then Milton answered her. "He probably will be out until morning."

"Sophia?" Carol's voice was filled with concern.

Sophia looked up at her and then back down to Merle's face. She let out a sigh and then came to them. Before she said anything she shut the door and then leaned against. "Yeah?"

"What was that?" Carol asked arching an eyebrow at the girl.

"That was Merle." Sophia grinned. Daryl had to grin along with her so Carol narrowed her eyes at him and he stopped grinning and looked away.

"I know that. But why did you go to him? He's Merle." She shot a glance towards Daryl to make sure he wasn't offended. Apparently he wasn't the one she had to worry about offending.

"And he's a man that's alone and in pain. And if he needs someone to be there then I'm going to be there. You know, maybe he wouldn't be so bad if he had somebody that cared. Well, now he does. I care."

Sophia had never talked to her like that in her life. Not that the girl had said anything bad to her or even that her tone was angry. She had just never stuck up for anyone like that. She was quiet and shy. This was a new Sophia and Carol had to admit that she didn't mind it.

"I'm sorry mom." Sophia said, realizing that she may have hurt Carol's feelings.

"Don't." Carol smiled at her and touched her face. "You're right. Merle needs someone right now and if you can make him feel better then you need too. I want you too."

Sophia's eyes grew a little wider but Daryl's narrowed. "You sure that's a good idea?" he asked gruffly.

"Daryl." Sophia took his hand in hers and craned her head to look up at him. "I know what I'm doing."

He nodded and she dropped his hand and followed them to the kitchen.

Carol was surprised to see Rick and Lori both sitting at the table, Carl sitting in a chair between them. Lori was smiling widely, as was Rick. Carl was eating and grinning and then Lori looked up. Her smile fell right off her face and then she was quickly out of her chair and storming towards them. She looked intense, her eyes wide. She grabbed Daryl and hugged him tightly, eyes still wide at first but then she squeezed them closed. Daryl, being Daryl, didn't hug her back. He just stiffened up until she was done.

"Thank you." She said as she pulled away from him. "You saved my boy and nothing I ever say or do can repay you for that." She said in a thick voice as tears escaped her eyes. Then she turned to Carol and actually had to cover her mouth to force back a sob. Her face crumpled. "I'm so sorry for the way I've treated you and those things I said out there on the highway."

Carol, feeling sorry for her, drew her close and she couldn't believe how tight Lori was clinging to her. If Andrea had came in just then she would have had a stroke. Lori pulled away and then wiped at her eyes before returning to the table and kissing Carl on top of his head.

Carol hoped that her and Rick could work things out. They had Carl back and that was a start. At least, thanks to Daryl, that was one wound that was already closed up.

They had brought in food from the CDC so they weren't eating up all the Greene families rations. Carol was happy to see that there was leftovers. She fixed Sophia and Daryl a plate and they both dug in like they were starved.

"Sophia," Carl grinned at her from across the table.

"What?" She asked around a mouth full of ham.

"No offense but this is way better than the walnuts." he said happily.

Sophia grinned. "None taken."

Carl looked up at Rick. "Where are we sleeping tonight?" He asked.

Sophia shook her head. "Sure not with me."

Daryl coughed a few times and had to take a drink of water. When he had composed himself a little he looked down at her. "Sophia, shut up and eat before you cause me to choke to death."

Carol just watched them for a long time. She couldn't seem to keep the grin off her face. Lori caught her eye and she seemed to be the same way. Carol still couldn't make herself like the woman. Not after what she had done to Rick and Shane. Two good men that got twisted up by her.

When both their plates were empty Carol reached across the table to clean up but Lori stopped her with a hand on hers. "Leave it. I'll clean up. Go get her washed up."

"I don't mind." Carol said but she pulled her hand away.

Lori nodded. "I know. Go on." She smiled and Carol stood up and shrugged.

"I wont argue with you." She said as she grabbed Sophia's hand and took her to their room where their bags were. Daryl followed, yawning loudly.

After getting her clothes together and showing her to the bathroom Sophia turned to her before she shut the door.

"Mom, I want to sleep in Merle's room. There's a couch in there and that way if he wakes up and needs something he wont be alone." her voice sounded hopeful but Carol wasn't sure if she wanted her to sleep somewhere that she couldn't get to her right away. She knew she was going to have a lot of separation anxiety for as long as she lived now.

"I don't know about that. That room isn't far away from ours, Sophia. If he needs anything I don't think he'll hesitate to yell." Carol argued.

"Mom, I've spent the last two nights sleeping out there in the woods. I don't think being one door down is going to matter much. He needs me."

Carol reached out and touched her face again, still not being able to believe that she was here and she was real and she was alive. But there she was, flesh and blood, standing impatiently in the middle of the bathroom. She looked much older than she had a week ago. Like some of her innocence had gotten lost out there in the woods and she would never be able to find it again. This made her sad.

"Well?"

Finally Carol nodded. If this was something she felt like she needed to do for that awful man then she would let her. She knew Merle wouldn't hurt her. He wasn't a woman beater or a child abuser. He was just a rotten low life criminal. There was a difference no matter how slim.

The grin Sophia rewarded her with made it worth it.

"I'll lay out some blankets and a pillow for you." Carol said quietly. "And you're sure you wont need anything else?"

Sophia shook her head. "I'm fine, mom."

Carol reached down and kissed the girl on the forehead. "Good night then, I guess."

Carol sat the blankets down on the couch that Sophia had claimed for herself and then walked over to where Milton and Hershel were still both leaning over Merle's stump. "Oh my God." She gasped as she covered her mouth at the wicked sight before her. Even though she had just been thinking what a rotten man he was she couldn't help but feel for him. Hershel and Milton were working diligently but she had to turn her head. She wasn't even sure what they were doing exactly and she didn't want to know.

"Are you sure it wont bother you if she sleeps in here?" She asked.

Both men shook their heads but Hershel was the one that spoke. "You need to go check on that man of yours. He put himself through a whole lot today and I'm sure he's paying for that now." He held up a bottle of pills and she took them. "Make him take two for the pain."

She thanked them and finally made her way to their room. He was lying on the bed with his arms crossed behind his head. She shook the pill bottle and sat down on the edge.

"I don't need no pills." He said stubbornly.

"You have to be in a lot of pain. They'll help you sleep."

He looked at her and smirked. "I ain't in much pain and I don't need pills to fall asleep."

She sighed and then kicked off her shoes. He watched her as she moved like she was going to climb over him but stopped and straddled him instead. She braced her hands on each side of his head and kissed him like she hadn't kissed him in what felt like years. She kept all of her weight off his midsection since, regardless of what he said, he had to be in pain. His rough hands pulled the sweater up a little so he could touch her skin.

She raised her head up and smiled down at him. "Take the pills." She whispered.

He sighed and then reached for the bottle. He chased two down with water from a glass of water on the table by the bed and then he pulled her down again. She kept herself braced over him with her arms but he was tired of that so he wrapped his arms around her waist and yanked her down so the top half of her was flush with his. She still tried to keep most her weight off his injured side but he was making it difficult to do with the grip he had on her, crushing her to him harder.

With a discouraged sound bubbling up from her throat she broke their heated kiss and pushed herself back up. She had to clear her head. Her fingers went to the buttons on his shirt and he smirked. He had the wrong idea and she couldn't blame him but she knew it was the only way she could check on his wounds without him having a tantrum about it. She was worried about what he had put his body through today.

She pushed his shirt open and looked down at the dressing covering up the holes in his side and lower abdomen. Hershel had done a good job covering them but they were now saturated in blood, just like she suspected.

"Damn it Carol." He growled. "That's just dirty."

"You've done some damage to yourself today, Daryl. I'm not going to pretend like it wasn't worth it, but this needs cleaned and redressed. And I knew you would give me hell if I tried to look at it."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Didn't have to make me think I might finally get some. It's mean. I never thought you'd turn out to be so fuckin' mean."

She climbed off of him and heard him sigh. Milton had filled the nightstand drawer with supplies that she could use to keep his wounds clean and covered. She took out what she need and then turned to him. He was scowling at her. "You have to keep it clean, Daryl. You want to end up with an infection like your brother's?"

"Woman, I've spent most of my life takin' care of my damn self and I ain't dead yet. I don't need a nurse maid."

"Are you really going to pout about this?" She asked as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"I ain't poutin'." He grumbled.

She sighed and then narrowed her eyes at him. "Get up." She demanded.

He looked over, that scowl still in place. "What?"

"Get your ass out of bed, Daryl."

He sat up. "I'm injured here woman. Why should I get out of bed. Your the one talkin' about me needin' to heal."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, pulling him until he was finally standing. She sat down on the edge of the bed, slipped her fingers through the belt loops at his hips and yanked him forward. She smiled as she heard his breath come out in a rush.

"Oh." he mumbled.

She forced back a laugh and then pushed his shirt back once more. She looked up at him. He was looking down at her, that mischievous grin on his face. She grinned and shook her head as she peeled the tape away and removed the bloody bandages.

She winced but it wasn't really as bad as she had feared. It must have bled earlier because it wasn't bleeding now. It didn't look infected so that was a relief. She had to remind herself to thank Milton again in the morning. Things could have turned out a lot different if he hadn't been with them.

"You gonna clean this up or sit there lookin' at my crotch all night?" He asked after a while.

She glanced up at him. Why was she blushing so bad? She should have been used to this by now. She hadn't even realized that her eyes had traveled down that far. She shook her head and then got to work cleaning him up. Her hands were shaking.

When she was done she risked another look at his face and offered him a small smile right before she kissed the skin right above his waistline and then pushed him back a bit so she could go find her own clothes to sleep in.

He growled something that she didn't catch as he crawled back into the bed. She smiled to herself, turned around so her back was to him and peeled off her sweater.


	37. Chapter 37

**Okay, this is the stuff I'm not very good at. Go easy on me! Be gentle, people! I hope this chapter isn't a total flop and if it is then I am totally sorry! But I did try. If nothing else at least it's another chapter to read =) See I'm an optimist! A very nervous optimist... Enjoy! **

Chapter Thirty Seven

Daryl opened his eyes and then blinked in the darkness of the room. It wasn't completely black. It was nothing like the room they had stayed in at the CDC. The pills had worn off but that was alright. The pain hadn't been unbearable when Carol had forced him to take them to begin with and it was even less now. Just a dull throb that he could easily ignore. He figured that when he woke up it would hurt like hell after spending all day on the back of a damn horse. Hell, his ass hurt worse than his side did.

He knew, somehow, that it wasn't even near morning yet so he slipped out of the bed as quietly as he could and left the room. The rest of the house was as dark as the bedroom but he knew it well enough to get by without running into anything. He didn't realize he had a destination until he was standing outside of the door to Merle's room. Carol had given Sophia the okay to sleep in there so he hadn't said anything about it. But the truth was, he'd rather have had her closer.

He opened the door and it swung inward quietly. There was a small lamp on in the corner of the room and he was relieved to see the girl curled up on the couch asleep. Probably sleeping a lot better than she had the last few nights.

"Comin' to make sure I ain't done nothin' to the kid?" Merle's low raspy voice asked from the bed.

Daryl hadn't even looked at the man yet. But there he was, wide awake. "Thought you was suppose to be out till mornin'." Daryl said as he made his way further into the room.

Merle gave him a humorless smile. "I guess the good doctors didn't guess my tolerance would be so high."

Daryl just rolled his eyes and sat down in a chair a few feet away from the bed. "Yeah, guess they wouldn't have thought of that." His eyes flicked towards the couch. It was a quick movement but Merle was an observant man.

"What's goin' on here, little brother? You and that girl over there, ya'll actin' like she's yours or somethin'."

"Why? Cause I didn't let her die in the woods? You ain't gotta be a kids daddy to not want that for'em, Merle." his tone held a bitter edge that had Merle's eyes narrowing.

"I saw the way the kid looked at ya. You can stop playin' stupid with me. I know ya."

"You don't know shit, Merle." He said as he looked down at the floor.

"I saw you with her momma earlier. That lil lady's lookin' good now days. You got somethin' to do with that?"

"Why do you always gotta run your mouth about shit you know nothin' about?" Daryl growled. "You ain't never been able to just shut your fuckin' mouth."

"You forgettin' who the fuck yer talkin' that way too, boy?" Merle growled.

"No. How the fuck could I? I lived with you most of my life and you ain't stopped talkin' bout yourself once."

Merle must not have really been looking for a fight because he settled his head back down on the pillow and his face became smug. "So, tell me bout everything I missed. Been in here for hours bored outta my goddamn mind."

"You ain't missed much." Daryl said gruffly as he stared at his hands that were now clasped in front of him.

When he glanced up Merle was studying him with a mildly amused expression. "Looks to me like I missed a whole lot. I done heard all about what you did to ol' Ed. That's some pretty sick shit right there little brother."

"Told you somebody needed to do somethin' about that piece of shit puttin' his hands on her like that."

"And I told you to mind your own." Merle said quietly.

"Yeah, well you wasn't there, were you?"

"Well, did she at least give ya a reward for savin' her ass?" Merle smirked.

"Fuck you, Merle."

"You tellin' me you ain't knocked the bottom outta that yet? You kill her husband for her and then you save her kid and you ain't even got yer dick wet?"

Daryl felt his anger rising but he tried to breath through it. This was Merle. It's how he had always been. He just shook his head. "That ain't what it's about, dumb ass."

"So then you wont mind if I break it in for ya? If she ain't yours then it's all fair game baby brother. You know she ain't never had it the way a Dixon can give it to her." He studied Daryl's expression but Daryl wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing how pissed off he was.

He stood up and walked calmly towards the door even though the only thing he wanted to do at the moment was grab that lamp and smash it into Merle's face. But that wouldn't do him any good so he left the room without looking at him again.

Even he couldn't believe that he had once put himself in the same category as that man. No one was as bad as him. Maybe their dad, at one time, was worse than Merle was but that dumb bastard had been dead for a long time. Now Merle held the trophy for biggest asshole alive.

He wasn't tired but he had no where else to go and Merle had gotten to him a bit and he knew that if anyone could sooth his nerves it was Carol, so he slipped back into the room and crawled in next to her again. The aggravation he had been feeling over what his brother had said started to evaporate as soon as his arm slid around her warm waist.

"Where were you?" She asked sleepily.

"Went to check on Sophia. Merle's stupid ass was awake so I sat with him for a while. Till I realized he wasn't gonna shut up so I left."

"Was she awake?" She asked as she rolled over to face him. She tucked her head under his chin.

"No."

"What's wrong?" She lifted her head and looked at him with eyes that were still half closed.

"Nothin'. You should go back to sleep."

She pulled back and looked at him in the dim light that was coming in through the windows. "You think it's gonna be hard with him here?"

He smiled as he let his hand roam down to her hip. "I'm startin' to think ain't nothin' spose to be easy for you and me. This is just one more thing to get through I guess."

"Some stuff is easy." She said as she trailed her fingers over his jaw. She leaned in and kissed him lightly. "See? Easy."

His heart lurched just by that light touch of her lips on his. That was how it always was though. He had had woman before. If you could even call them that. But he'd never had this. Not someone who could make his head spin just by touching his face and make him weak in the knees by kissing him. No, she wasn't like anyone else he'd ever known. She didn't flaunt herself around like other women did. She didn't need too. And she didn't have too. She wasn't the type to seek out attention from men. Hers was a kind of subtle beauty. She kept quiet and further back than most women but if you were lucky enough to really see her, you got to see something amazing. The way her wide blue eyes took in every single thing you ever tried to hide, or the way her soft voice held a quiet strength that was easy to miss until she was whispering in your ear that she loved you.

He couldn't make out the blue of her eyes in the dark even though her eyes were wide open now. He was kind of glad that that meant that she wasn't able to see his own. If she could see them then she would know everything he was thinking and the things he was thinking were things he would rather keep to himself. Even though those thoughts of her kept him awake some nights. They were still his alone.

For some reason thinking about her like that always left a dull ache in his chest. It almost, but not quite, felt like sadness at times. Life had always been a fragile thing. But having someone to actually want to live for was the scariest thing in the world to him and sometimes he was overwhelmed by the intensity of it. Kind of like he was right now.

And the very worst part about feeling all of those things was the fact that it went against everything he thought he knew. Everything his brother had taught him. But he didn't try to fight it. Not anymore. It felt good. She wasn't something Merle Dixon had ever come across before so he would never understand things like this.

He didn't know whether it was all these thoughts running through his head, or if it was spurred on because of what Merle had said earlier, or if it was just because he really was flat out tired of waiting, or it could have had everything to do with the fact that she hadn't even bothered to go anywhere else to change her clothe earlier, but he found himself kissing her again. Nothing like that light kiss she had given him. He felt hungry for her mouth. And so he fed. His teeth grazing her lip just enough to cause her to cry out a bit and then she was right on board. Matching him with an intensity of her own.

He ran his hand from her hip down to her thigh and then moved it so it was draped over his own hip and then he rolled until she was under him. Her fingers quickly worked the buttons on his shirt and then her soft hands were pushing it down his shoulders. He pulled away just long enough to shrug it off and tossed it to the floor and then his mouth was on hers once more. Her hands traveled over him and everywhere her hands touched left his skin tingling in their wake. He felt like he was still drugged. His mind was spinning and his heart was pounding and he was filled with a need so intense he was sure it would kill him.

He tried to slow himself down. Kept telling himself that she wasn't going anywhere and that he needed to calm down but it was useless. He pulled away from her and came up on his knees. When he looked at her he could see that her chest was heaving with every breath and her legs were still parted before him. His hands went for the waistband of the thin pants she had worn to bed and in one deft motion he tore them away and was on top of her once more. His hands slid under her tank top and she dug her fingernails into his back, causing him to groan into her ear. She moved her hands away from him just long enough for him to slip the shirt over her head and then they came right back to him. She gripped the sides of his face as he kissed her roughly but her hands didn't stay there. She moved them slowly down his neck, palms pressing flat against the muscles of his chest and further still, grazing the sensitive skin of his stomach until finally she had the button of his pants undone.

He was about to let her slip her hand inside, it wasn't like she hadn't already done that before, but right before she could he moved back, grabbed her hands and pushed them away. It was going to take everything in him to prolong this, for as long as he could, as it was. It was going to make it a lot more difficult if he let her have her way. So he trapped her hands above her head with one of his own and then left a wet trail from the hollow behind her ear all the way down to her hip bone, lingering on areas that caused her to squirm, and then followed a different rout on his way back up. He had the overwhelming urge to taste every bit of her so, after kissing her mouth once more he trailed his head down again, grazing his teeth across the hipbone he had just seconds ago abandoned. She let out a pitiful sound when his teeth touched her skin then he felt her hands in his hair when he didn't move back up, but down further.

This wasn't something he had ever done before, or something he thought he ever would do but he owed her some payback for the stunt she had pulled at the CDC and he wasn't sure how long he'd end up lasting. Considering the painful throbbing in his pants, it wasn't going to take him long and he wasn't going to cheat her.

To his amazement he had a knack for it because the very first time his mouth made contact with the heat between her legs she cried out loudly and clamped her hand over her mouth. Her other hand fisted into his hair. He stayed right where he was, and the noises she was making behind that hand were driving him mad. It couldn't have been a full minute later when he felt her digging her heels into the mattress and started making sobbing sounds behind her hand, and he just kept going until she arched her back and trapped his head between her thighs.

When she was finally finished she moved her thighs and then roughly jerked him upward by the hair that she still had a hold of. It would have probably hurt if he wasn't so consumed by other things at the moment. He was already working his pants off as she was pulling him to her. He braced himself on his arms and looked down at her face. The darkness in the room wasn't enough to hide how impossibly wide her eyes were as she looked up at him. Her hands gripped his forearms and then he hesitated for a second.

"Daryl, please." She breathed.

That was too much. She was actually begging for it. He adjusted his hips a bit and then finally, after all the waiting and the torment, he pushed himself inside of her. And then he stopped moving as her eyes widened even more and her lips parted. She fit him like a glove and he had to repress a shudder. She wrapped her legs around him as he started moving into her and then it was all lips teeth and fire once more. He wasn't at all gentle. He thought he could be but he wasn't and she matched every movement he made with the same untamed enthusiasm. She wasn't obnoxiously loud but she wasn't quiet and every sound she made had him gritting his teeth to keep himself from just letting go.

He was almost dumbstruck at how impossibly good she felt. He didn't think anything could feel as good as this but then suddenly, it started feeling even better. She was tightening around him even more, which he didn't think was possible, and then there she was, clamping her hand down over her mouth again just as he felt the muscles inside her clamp around him followed by a rush of heat. And that was too much, it felt like she was vibrating on the inside, causing him to feel sensations he had never felt before, and he stopped holding back. He picked up his pace, not caring if he lost it now.

"Jesus, Carol." He growled into her ear as he felt her starting to come again and this time he joined her with an agonized groan. His whole body seemed to convulse as he waited for her to drain him, her body doing most of the work without either of them having to hardly move. He didn't move away yet. He kept his head buried in her shoulder as he waited for their breathing to return to normal. He was really just too stunned to move.

He finally eased away from her and pulled the blanket over both of them. They were both on their backs now, both still panting a little. Neither one of them said anything for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. After a while she turned her head towards him.

"Daryl?" She whispered.

He looked at her and he could feel the smug expression on his face but he couldn't do anything about it.

"Do you think anybody heard me?" She asked, her expression was quite mortified so he did the only thing he could do at that expression. He laughed.

She covered her face with her hands, causing him to laugh even louder.

"Are you seriously laughing at me right now?" She pulled her hands away from her face and slapped him in the arm. "This isn't funny, Daryl. There's a house full of people and you were making me..." Her voice trailed off and she covered her face again. "That's never happened to me before."

"What? You never got loud before?" He snorted, "I met your husband, Carol. Can't say I'm all that surprised. Or you talkin' about how you never got off like that before, cause that's what it felt like to me." He chuckled when she raised her head up and glared at him.

"Daryl, just shut your mouth." She groaned but he knew that she wasn't mad because she rolled over and curled up next to him with her head on his chest.

He felt exhausted all of a sudden and he felt his eyes slipping shut. "I don't think anybody heard you, Carol." He mumbled. "The only one that was awake was Merle." He chucked again but then he cracked one eye open when he felt her move away from him. "Where you goin'?

She reached down and grabbed something off the floor. It was her shirt and she slipped it over her head quickly then she reached down and again and came back up holding her underwear. She slipped them on also and then curled back up in her usual spot. "Aren't you gonna put your clothes back on?"

He closed his eyes and grinned. "Nope."

"What if someone comes in?" She asked worriedly.

"Then they'll learn to knock, I suppose."


	38. Chapter 38

**This is one of those chapters that I didn't much care for but will still hopefully entertain. Some Merle and Sophia which is always fun. I love them =) Thanks to you all for reviewing. I was nervous about last nights chapter and I'm extremely happy you all seemed to like it so much. And for those of you that asked for it, don't worry, there is more ;) Hope you all have a great morning!**

Chapter Thirty Eight

"Mornin' love birds."

Carol's eyes shot open at the sound of Merle Dixon's voice. What happened between her and Daryl last night came rushing back to her, causing her to blush. When she remembered that Daryl hadn't even put any clothes back on she blushed even deeper. She raised up on her elbows and glared at the man standing in the doorway. She was about to say something but Daryl beat her to it.

"Go away, Merle." He mumbled.

He didn't go away at all. Instead he came further into the room, shutting the door behind him. She had to admit that he looked much better. He didn't look all the way better but from the looks of that stump last night he was better than he should be right now. He was a tough son of a bitch. She had to give him that.

"Hey, you two owe me. Sophia was the one that said she was comin' to get you up. Ya'll rather her come in here with all these clothes on the floor and the two of ya in the bed like that?" Merle clucked his tongue and bent down to pick something up.

When he stood up he tossed her pajama bottoms to her with a smirk.

"Thank you. Can you get out now?" She said tersely as she slipped her pants back on under the blanket. She was surprised Daryl hadn't said anything else to the man yet.

He picked up Daryl's pants and tossed them too him. Daryl caught them and groaned but he did the same as she had and put them on. "Merle, shouldn't you be in bed or somethin'?"

Merle put his hand on his hip and leaned against the door. "Got up to have me some breakfast with the rest. Guess them girls wanted to celebrate so they cooked up a big meal for everybody. Ya'll missed it. Musta had yerselves a long night." He winked. "What's it been, little brother? Fifteen years? Maybe it wasn't _that_ long a night then." He grinned.

Carol didn't like the thought of Merle with the others unsupervised. She really hoped he hadn't been too bad, especially since Sophia had been with him. God, she wished she had gotten up earlier.

"You got up to eat breakfast with the rest of the group?" Daryl asked as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He sounded just as concerned as she felt.

Carol finally decided that the man wasn't going anywhere so she got out of bed and went to her bags to find something to change into. She was rummaging through her stuff when she heard Daryl's annoyed voice.

"Goddamn it, Merle! Get the fuck out. Now!"

She turned her head towards Merle and then stood up quickly. She had been bent over as she looked for her clothes and he had been staring at her. She turned, put her hands on her hips and stared him in the eye. The eye contact didn't last though as his gaze swept down the length of her.

"Well look at what you was hidin' back at camp." Merle smirked.

Her eyes didn't waver when his finally met hers again and he looked a little surprised by that. "You done now?" She asked quietly, eyes flashing.

The smirk turned into a grin as he looked over at Daryl who was just getting his shirt buttoned and then back to her. His eyes narrowed. "It was you." He said knowingly.

She felt the hard look on her face transform into one of confusion. "What?"

"I kept thinkin' on it, ya know? Wonderin' why the hell my baby brother here would go all massacre on Ol' Ed. It ain't his style. Couldn't figure it out. But I figured it out now."

Daryl's head came up and he was standing in front of Merle before she could even blink. "Go." He growled as he opened the door and pushed Merle towards it.

"It's true, ain't it? She did it?" He seemed excited by the idea. And when he looked back at her there was a new spark in his eye.

"Bye, Merle." Daryl grumbled as he slammed the door in his face.

He turned around and stared at her, his face unreadable.

"What?" She asked in a guarded voice.

"Merle." He said and then he shook his head. "I hate to think what might have came out of his mouth this mornin'. We might as well get to packin' cause Hershel ain't gonna want us around after that, I'm sure."

"I've been a little worried about that myself. This is his home and now all these people that he barely knows is here. He seems more comfortable now but surely he wont offer to let us stay. And then what? Where would we go?" She handed him some clothes but he just tossed them onto the bed and pulled her to him.

Her breath caught in her throat as she thought about his hands on her waist. And then she instantly started thinking about all the places those hands had been the night before. Get a grip Carol, she said to herself but when she looked up he just happened to be running his tongue over his bottom lip which took her mind to somewhere else. Maybe if they were really quick about it they could...

"Where was we headed when we left the CDC?" He asked lightly.

She shrugged. "We didn't know." She swallowed hard. He had no idea what was running through her head and she was glad. He was being less observant today. She couldn't yank her eyes away from his lips as he spoke. She barely even heard a word her said. She really needed to pull herself together.

"Exactly. There's somethin' out there for all of us. And this place ain't real secure anyway." He mumbled as he looked past her towards the windows. "And from what Rick tells me, Hershel don't think there's a reason to make it secure. He thinks the Walkers are people who are sick and that he's sure there's a cure. Milton's been talkin' to him about it though." He let go of her waist and then grabbed the clothes off the bed.

He kissed her quickly and then left the room, most likely to shower, which was something that she needed as well. She sighed and picked up her clothes but spun around again when the door banged open and Daryl quickly came in and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her along with him.

"Where are we going?" She asked as he started up the stairs.

He turned around and grinned. "Everybody's outside."

She frowned. "So." She had to smile as he stared at her. "What are we doing?"

He turned around and pulled her along again. "We're gonna conserve some water, woman."

~H~

"You did real good, Merle." Sophia said as she sat on the step next to the man.

He gave her a dirty look and then shook his head. "I kept my mouth shut. I had plenty to say though."

Sophia nodded. "I know you did. But I don't think anyone even knew. Your poker face is impressive. And at least you're getting taken care of proper. That water you drank in that shack was the last I had. We'd have been pretty hard up if Daryl hadn't come when he had."

Merle's head swiveled around and he looked at her unhappily. "Are you stupid or somethin'? The hell would you do that for? You coulda dehydrated out there and your last water was wasted on some mean fucker that ya didn't hardly know and wouldn't have done the same for you."

"I tried to tell her the same thing." Carl grumbled from a few feet away. It was obvious he did not like spending time with Merle.

"Shut up Carl." Sophia snapped.

"Yeah, shut up, boy. I know exactly where you get your attitude from. You're daddy likes to leave folks in the dust too." He held up his bandaged stump, causing Carl to look away. Merle turned back to Sophia, "Well, explain yourself, girl."

She glared at him. He seemed to be trying to make things easier on Daryl but he could still work on his manners a bit. "I don't have to explain myself to you. But, I will say that I couldn't let someone die alone like that and not try to do something to help. That's what you aren't understanding. The whole world ain't bad."

He snorted. "You gotta lot to learn."

She smiled at him. "So do you. You ready to go back in yet?"

He shook his head and settled himself sideways against the banister. "Sick to death of bein' inside. Ain't shit to do in there. But go on if ya got somewhere ya need to be. I don't need no damn babysitter."

Carl looked up at her with a hopeful expression but she just sat there. "I don't have anywhere to be."

Carl stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm gonna go see what Jimmy is up too. He told me earlier that he'd show me around the farm." He said as he walked away.

Merle blew out a breath. "I didn't think that kid would ever leave."

"Carl isn't bad. He's never done anything to you." Sophia defended her friend lamely.

"Don't care. I don't like kids." He grumbled.

"You like me." She tried to hide a smile.

"No I don't. But like I said, I owe ya one. So I put up with ya is all."

"Sure Merle." She turned her head away so she could smile without him getting mad about it.

She stiffened as she watched Shane come around the corner. He offered her a smile but she just turned her head. She still didn't like him and after what she saw in the woods that time at the quarry she had a hard time looking at him. She had always stayed pretty quiet around him but sometimes she just wanted to tell him to go to hell. Maybe some day she would.

To her dismay he sat himself down on the other side of her. The steps were wide so he was a good four feet away but she found herself scooting closer to Merle. He'd never said anything mean to her or anything but she didn't feel very comfortable around a man that she'd seen naked. She felt her face flush bright red just thinking about it.

"I'm glad you and Carl made it back safe and sound." He said as he looked from her to Merle.

Merle didn't like him either and she could tell that he was having a hard time with the whole keeping his mouth shut thing. She offered him an encouraging smile. He glared at her in response.

"But you on the other hand, no pun intended, Merle, I don't guess any of us are all too happy to see you back."

Sophia watched as Merle's eyes turned to steel. She knew what Shane was doing. And from the looks of it Merle did too. She wanted to turn to the other man and give him a piece of her mind. But she had never given anyone a piece of her mind before, other than Carl, and she was too afraid to do it.

Merle turned his face towards Shane and then after giving him one more hard look he finally shrugged his shoulders. "Guess it's a good thing that I don't much care whether ya'll are happy or not."

Shane smirked and it bothered her so much she felt her hands clench into fists in her lap.

"Is that right?" Shane said casually. "Well, maybe you should start thinkin' about carin', Merle. It'd probably be in your best interest."

"Maybe you should start thinking about shutting your annoying mouth, you hotheaded jerk." Sophia snapped and then she felt her heart hammering against her chest. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. She'd never say something like that. Especially to a man that was a lot bigger than her and a lot stronger than her.

"What'd you just say?" Shane asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

She unconsciously pressed herself further into Merle's side when she looked at Shane again. He seemed more shocked than angry. "You need to just leave him alone. He hasn't done a thing to anyone since he's been here and all you're trying to do is start something. So stop."

Shane's eyes went wide. "Your momma gonna appreciate you talkin' that way to a grown up?"

"I think Daryl will."Sophia said quietly. "Especially if I tell them that you're out here trying to make things harder for Merle."

The door opened then and Daryl came out with her mom close behind. She met Shane's eyes but all he did was smirk.

"Hey Shane."

Sophia looked up at her mom quickly and then frowned. Why would she be happy to see that clown? She watched them warily for a few seconds and then when she glanced at Daryl he was eying Shane with the same look his brother had eyed him with earlier.

She felt Merle nudge her with his elbow. "Hey, girl, is it just me or did the tension out here just up a whole lot?" He whispered.

She nodded slightly without looking. "Let's go Merle. I know there's gotta be some cards in there somewhere. You can teach me how to play poker."

"Nah, lil miss. Looks like things out here are bout to get a bit interestin'." He grinned in Shane's direction.

"Merle." Sophia mumbled.

He blew out a breath and let her take his hand. She led him inside with the others watching them in shock.

Sophia was mad. It wasn't like she didn't already have her hands full with Merle, but now she had to keep a look out for Shane. She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the smile on her face when he gave her hand a slight squeeze.

"I think I did pretty good." He muttered.

"You're doin' great, Merle." She said, and she meant it.


	39. Chapter 39

**This chapter is a bit on the short side. It's kind of a filler but it is one that is needed! There is a point to it =) Thanks for reading and reviewing! You'll have another one to read in 12 hours to make up for this one! **

Chapter Thirty Nine

"What the hell was that all about?" Daryl asked as he watched Merle and Sophia walk back into the house.

Shane glanced up but he didn't look at him, his eyes went straight to Carol. "You think it's a good idea to let her hang around with Merle Dixon? We all know what kind of man he is."

"The fuck you tryin' to say?" Daryl asked angrily. "Merle wouldn't hurt that girl."

Shane just looked at him like he was stupid. "You sure about that? I don't think you know your brother as well as you think you do. The mans a loose cannon. He'd hurt anybody. I met a lot like him in my time."

"You best watch your mouth, jackass. I said my brother wouldn't hurt her."

Shane pushed himself up off the porch step and moved closer. Carol stepped between them. "Hey, man. I been tryin' to get along with your ass so you can lose that attitude."

"You been tryin' to what? You spent one afternoon on the road not bein' a prick and now I'm suppose to be your buddy? Fuck you. I know exactly what you went and told her after I got shot. I ain't fallin' for your good guy bullshit." Daryl's fists were clenched at his sides.

"I told her what you wanted me too, remember?" Shane sneered. "Or did you forget that part?"

"I was all fucked up in the head and you knew it you stupid shit. You saw an opportunity and you jumped on it. And what good did it do you, huh? Keep my brothers name outta your mouth and _my_ woman outta your fucked up head. You got enough problems, you don't want me bein' one of'em."

Carol was nearly smashed between the two men. She looked up at him and he almost took a step back. She was pissed. "Are you done?" She snapped.

"So long as his ass is done."

"Daryl. I think maybe you should stop taking everything that comes out of his mouth as a personal attack. You know how everyone feels about Merle." She said as she put a hand to his chest and pushed until he took a step back.

Shane looked down at her and shook his head. "It's alright Carol. I shoulda known it was gonna be this way. It's my fault." He took a deep breath and looked up at Daryl and shrugged. "I'm sorry. I worry about the girl is all. Your brother hasn't said a thing out of the way since he got here. Old habits, I suppose."

Daryl narrowed his eyes at him. What the hell was this guy up too? Daryl knew whatever it was it wasn't good for him. Carols eyes flashed from Shane's face to his but he didn't look at her. He was watching Shane. And as soon as Carol's head was turned Shane's apologetic looked melted into his trademark smirk and then he wiggled his eyebrows at him.

This guy couldn't be serious? He was still up to his same games. He knew he had messed up big time at the CDC so now he was going to play the good guy card. And from the looks of it Carol was really falling for it. He was trying to worm his way back in.

"Daryl?"

He looked down at her, knowing there was a scowl on his face. "What?"

"You can accept his apology, you know? You don't have to stand there like that, giving him the evil eye."

Daryl forced his face to smooth back out. He nodded and looked at Shane as Carol stepped away from them. He took a deep breath. Now Shane had that sad look on his face again since Carol was looking. "Shane." He said quietly.

"Yeah?"

Daryl, without warning shoved him, as hard as he could, with both hands in the chest. Shane flew backwards and landed on his back at the bottom of the steps. Carol grabbed his arm as he tore down the steps himself but he slipped out of her grip pretty easily. Shane hadn't righted himself yet, it had knocked the wind out of him. Daryl stood over him and then reached down and grabbed him by the front of the shirt and put his face close to his. "I ain't fallin' for your bullshit." He growled and then he shoved him back down.

Shane didn't try to fight back. It wouldn't have done him any good. Daryl was mad enough to rip his stupid throat out with his teeth at the moment. He spun around to go back into the house and came face to face with Carol.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Daryl Dixon?" She hissed as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"Holy shit!" Merle whooped from the porch.

Three pairs of eyes went to the porch to look at him. He was standing there with Sophia. Carol glared at Merle and then she glared at Daryl and then to his surprise she knelt down next to Shane and asked him if he was alright.

She offered him her hand and helped him sit up. She turned her head and glared at him over her shoulder. "Are you done now?" She asked in an angry tone.

"Hell no I ain't done! You can't tell me your fallin' for this shit. Your smarter than that." He fumed.

Shane picked himself up off the ground. "It's alright Carol. I knew this was how it was gonna be. I told you that yesterday."

"Shane, wait." Carol called as he turned around to walk away.

Carol walked up to him and smiled. "Lets walk, okay."

Three sets of mouths nearly dropped to the ground when she asked him that. Daryl looked towards Merle and Sophia and they were just picking their chins back up. Sophia looked a lot like Carol at that moment. A lot like Carol when Carol was pissed anyway. Merle just looked confused. He didn't know how he looked. He glanced back towards Carol and Shane and she turned to him them.

"I'll be back in a bit." She said angrily. And then she turned around and walked away. She wasn't close to Shane so he thought that was good, considering. Shane made it a point to turn to look over his shoulder and throw Daryl one of those infuriating winks.

He decided right then to kill the son of a bitch the first chance he got. He walked back up the porch steps and took a seat next to Sophia. Her and Merle had both sat down in the spots they had been occupying earlier.

"Can either one of you tell me what the fuck just happened?" He asked as his gaze never left Carol's retreating form.

He felt Sophia scoot closer and he draped his arm over her shoulder without thinking about it. He looked down and met her angry eyes. "What just happened was that creep trying to sabotage you and my mom." She said grimly. "And that shit just ain't gonna fly."

Daryl barely noticed that she had actually said shit. But he did notice the tone. And he noticed that look in her eye. He had a feeling that Shane was really going to need to watch his back now. This was not the girl to mess with from the looks of things.

"You want me to go shoot him?" Merle asked.

Daryl and Sophia both looked at him but Sophia spoke before Daryl had a chance. "Yes. But then that probably wont go over very well with the others. But I'm gonna think of something. He isn't getting away with that."

~H~

Carol walked with Shane in silence for a while but it was getting uncomfortable. He wasn't like Daryl. She could be silent with Daryl and it not feel awkward. This did. "You okay?" She asked.

He gave her a sideways glance and then nodded, returning his eyes to the path in front of him. They had been walking the fence line for a while now. She was so mad at Daryl right now. She was pretty sure that he was pretty mad at her at this point but she couldn't just let Shane walk away on his own. He would have probably gotten in his Jeep and left right then. She had heard him apologize with her own ears and then Daryl goes off and shoves him off the porch? She didn't understand that man sometimes. She loved him more than she could even comprehend but she didn't think she would ever understand why he did some of the things he did.

And Sophia was starting to act a lot like him. Maybe allowing her to hang out with Merle wasn't such a great idea.

"I didn't think he would be so pissed off about it. He has to know how everybody feels about Merle." Shane said suddenly.

Carol kept her own eyes on the ground. "Merle is his brother. He's going to defend him. Especially to you."

"Still. I don't like the thought of him spendin' any amount of time with Sophia. She ain't mine but I worry about her, you know. Merle Dixon is a dangerous man, he was dangerous enough before but he'll be even worse now." Shane glanced at her.

"What do you mean? Worse now?" She asked worriedly.

Shane laughed bitterly. "Did you see what that crazy son of a bitch did to his own hand. And you know as well as I do that he blames this whole group for that. He's gonna come after every one of us for Rick leavin' him on that roof."

"He seems to be making an effort to get along with everyone." Carol muttered. But she couldn't help but worry.

"Exactly. He wants everyone to let their guard down. And what I'm most afraid of is him doing something to Sophia to get back at you."

"At me? He knows me and Daryl... he knows that Daryl and I are together. He knows how much Daryl loves Sophia, even if he doesn't say it. Merle wouldn't hurt us."

"You sure about that? Another thing you need to think about is this. The only reason he's here, with people he don't want to be around, is because Daryl wont leave you behind. So he's stuck. If somethin' happens to you and Sophia he knows that Daryl wont stay around for the rest of us. Then Merle has his brother back. He can do what he wants to the group and then they could take off. As far as I can tell, you and Sophia are in the most danger with him runnin' loose around here."

Carol felt fear grip her chest as she thought about what he was saying. Could that be what Merle was up too? Was allowing Sophia to be around him really dangerous? She wasn't sure and if she wasn't sure then the only thing she knew to do to protect the girl was to keep her away from him. But she felt as though she would have a fight on her hands if she said anything to Sophia. Daryl hadn't felt too easy about Sophia spending time with the man either so maybe he could talk to the girl for her. Sophia would listen to Daryl.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Carol. It probably isn't even the truth. I was cop for a long time and I've seen a lot of bad stuff. I guess I always just jump to the worst conclusions. That line of work is enough to make a man paranoid. Especially about the likes of Merle Dixon. Daryl ain't so bad. Not anymore."

She shook her head. "If I tell Sophia to stay away from Merle that's going to be ugly."

He nodded. "But wouldn't it be better to have her pissed off and alive? He's dangerous Carol. You've seen it. And he's crazy. Anybody that can do _that_ to himself? Imagine what he'd do to someone else?"

Carol felt herself growing more and more uneasy just knowing that Sophia was with him now. She didn't know how she was going to tell the girl all of this and she didn't know what kind of rift it would cause between her and Daryl but she was her daughter and she had already failed at protecting her once. She couldn't leave anything to chance now. Surely Daryl would understand. He had too. He cared about Sophia enough to want to keep her safe just the same as she did.

"Carol I'm sorry. I really am. I guess my nerves get the best of me. But if you need someone to talk to after you tell her whatever it is you're going to tell her, I'll be here. You're the only friend I have left and I wanna be there for ya."

Carol gave him a small smile and nodded. Surely things wouldn't turn out that bad. Daryl and Sophia would understand.

She hoped.


	40. Chapter 40

**Sorry about the last chapter! Everyone was mad at Shane. Hope this one makes up for it a tiny bit. Maybe... It is longer so that is a plus, right? It's still a little angsty but I hope you like it anyway! Thanks for reading and reviewing! And have a good morning! =)**

Chapter Forty

"A debt?" Daryl asked with a small frown.

Sophia nodded solemnly. "He said he owed me one. You know, since I gave him food and water and didn't leave him in that shack to get eaten by those Walkers. He said that he always paid his debts and that he owed me. So I'm making him pay up so it will be easier on you."

"And he agreed to that?" Daryl asked, disbelief clear in his tone.

"He did. But he also told me not to tell anybody cause he didn't want you all thinking he was some pussy. So you can't tell him I told you."

"Don't say pussy." Daryl said absently, not even realizing he was telling her not to do something. "So, he agreed to try to keep the peace? For you?"

Sophia rolled her eyes. "I'm actually pretty convincing when I need to be Daryl. You don't always have to get what you want by throwing punches or shoving guys off porches."

He eyed her for a few seconds then leaned in closer to her face. "Tell that to Carl." he smiled when her cheeks turned red.

"That was different. I had no choice." she frowned. "Well, I did have a choice but he made me really mad and I just did it without thinking."

"We always have a choice, girl. It's whether or not we make the right one that decides on if we both end up in trouble. And I landed my ass in a world of shit with that move."

"I can't believe he's still trying. And I can't believe my mom is falling for this good guy crap. She should know by now that you just can't trust people." She shook her head.

"I can't believe your mom is fallin' for it either." He grumbled as he leaned back on his elbows.

"You don't have to worry about my mom, Daryl. You should know that by now."

"I don't know, kid. I've done an awful lot of fuckin' up since this whole thing with your mom started."

"You saved my life. You saved everyone at the quarry. You make her happy. My mom loves you." She said simply.

"I know that." And he did. But he still couldn't help but worry. Especially when she was off with dumbshit getting her head filled with God only knew what.

"Have you told her that you love her?"

He felt the flush all the way up to his hairline. But this was Sophia so he really didn't have anything to hide. "Yeah. I told her that already."

"Did you tell her that last night?" She asked.

He glanced over at her and she was eying him questioningly.

"I told her that at the CDC." He sighed.

"What did you two talk about last night?"

"What's with all the questions?" He asked, starting to get uncomfortable. He sat back up so she couldn't see his face. Last night. Last night was something he would barely even let himself think about. When he thought about the first time then his mind came up with all kinds of new ideas for the next time, which happened to be when he had basically dragged her to the shower. Jesus Christ, the shower..." He shook his head to rid his mind of the images of the things that woman did to him in that shower. This was definitely not the time to think about that.

"Well, Merle told me that from what he heard last night my mom was gonna be wrapped around your finger for the rest of her life. He said that even rooms away he could pinpoint the exact second that she fell in love with you. I just thought that you told her that you loved her. So what did you say that would make her fall in love and be wrapped around your finger for the rest of her life? Did you ask her to marry you?"

Daryl stifled a groan. Merle heard. Great. Not that it wasn't obvious to Merle what they had been up too when he came in and caught them in bed this morning. But now he had to go and say something like that to Sophia? Merle was low.

"Why is your face so red?" Sophia asked.

He huffed out an annoyed breath. "I didn't say anything to your momma that she ain't already heard before. Merle's a dumb ass. And no, I didn't ask her to marry me either." He almost laughed at that. He would have laughed if Shane hadn't gone and started a whole new world of trouble for him. God he hated that son of a bitch.

"Why not?" She asked as she studied his face intently.

He shrugged. "Ain't the marryin' type."

"I figured." She said glumly. "Do people even do stuff like that anymore? Get married I mean? Carl asked while we were lost."

"Asked what?" Daryl asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"If you and my mom were getting married."

Daryl snorted and then he remembered his conversation with Carol the other day and his face must have shown it because Sophia frowned.

"Speakin' of Carl." He growled and then he paused because he wasn't sure how to go on. He didn't know if Sophia would even know what he was talking about but he had to know if the boy had kept his hands to himself while they were out there alone for two whole nights. And if he found out that he hadn't he was gonna jerk the kid up and beat his ass like it's never been beat before.

"What about him?" She asked quizzically.

"He never tried to..."

She frowned when he shifted uncomfortably and looked away. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.

"Spit it out." She said as she bumped him with her shoulder.

"He didn't try anything, did he? Like, maybe while you guys had to slee..."

"Oh my God, shut up, Daryl. That's so... That's just wrong." She smacked his arm, her face glowing pink from her neck to her scalp.

"He blew out a breath and nodded. "Alright. Shuttin' up. Just wanted to make sure."

Sophia composed herself faster than he did. She shook her head at him and he had to look away, embarrassed. She finally spoke after a while. "What would you have done if he...?"

He looked at her quickly. "I'd have probably beat him to death."

Sophia shook her head and from the looks of it she was forcing back a smile. "So, when am I going to be allowed to have a boyfriend?"

He was almost sure that she was just messing with him now. He hoped. He didn't know how to deal with all this shit. But he did have himself an opinion. "Never."

She cocked one eyebrow at him. "Never?"

"No. You don't need to be thinkin' about that stuff right now anyway. Your just a girl."

"I ain't gonna stay a girl forever, Daryl. What about then?"

He scowled at her. "Then I'll worry about it then."

Her face brightened at that. She smiled but she didn't say anything for a while and when she did she didn't talk about her and boys, which he was grateful.

"What the hell are we going to do about him?" She asked.

"Who? Shane?"

She nodded and her face fell a little.

Daryl just shrugged. "I don't know, kid. Kill him I guess." He gave her a wink but on the inside his stomach was tying itself in knots. He really did want to kill the guy. He was finally in a good place. His barriers were down, he had Carol, he had Sophia back and he even had his brother. Sure, Merle was a class A asshole but he did seem to be trying. For the kid anyway. So everything was good except for Shane.

"I'm not going to let him mess this up for us." She growled and he felt his eyes widen at the ice in her tone.

~H~

Merle laid in the bed with one arm behind his head and the useless stump on his chest. He felt like shit. The old man and the dork with the glasses had came in and gave him another shot of antibiotics to help fight off the infection he was apparently full of. His palm was itching like crazy but he couldn't scratch it. It was the ghost palm again. He hated that. Like it wasn't bad enough that he was missing his fucking hand to begin with but the mother fucker had to itch something awful most of the time. That was how it had always been for him though. Always finding an itch he couldn't scratch.

He sighed and wallowed a little longer in his own self pity before he closed his eyes and tried to force himself to fall asleep. Both of the good doctors were stingy with their drugs. That would have made him feel a hell of a lot better. But they were a couple of sadistic bastards that would only give him enough to take the ache out of his stump. He opened his eyes and sighed. Where the hell was that kid at? She made decent company even if she was bossy as hell. His damn brother should have been in here keeping him company but of course he was probably still sitting on his ass waiting for his woman to come back from her little stroll with that dumb shit cop.

He figured he'd have to do something about that guy himself. Daryl was too damn whipped. It was nice watching him knock the guy on his ass but then Carol had to get all pissed off about it and ruin the moment. He smiled to himself when he remembered the smile on Sophia's face when Daryl had jerked the asshole up and told him off.

Yeah, he liked the kid. He didn't even want to admit it to himself because he, as a general rule, didn't really like anybody. He didn't really like feeling like that but it was there. When he had woken up and she was there on the couch at first he was pissed off. The kid wasn't gonna give him a minutes peace. But then after he laid there a while and thought about it he realized that having another person give a shit wasn't too bad at all. Besides, he was pretty sure he'd be a dead man if she hadn't stayed with him. Who would have thought, Merle Dixon getting his ass saved by some skinny kid in the woods?

And then Daryl had to come in like he didn't trust his own brother with the kid. Merle was a lot of things but he sure as hell wouldn't hurt no kid. Even one he didn't like. And he liked this one so nobody had anything to worry about. Least of all Daryl. It had pissed him off. He chuckled out loud when he thought about the noises coming from down the hall after Daryl got pissed off and stormed out.

He turned his head when the door opened up and in walked Sophia and his brother. He smirked. "Figured you'd be out keepin' an eye on that woman of yours little brother."

"She ain't the type you gotta watch, asshole. If she was I wouldn't bother with it." Daryl growled.

Sophia rolled her eyes and then hopped her skinny ass right up there on the bed. He scowled at her. "Ain't you got somewhere else to be? Don'tcha got friends or somethin'. Always in my face, girl."

She ignored his snide remarks and met his narrowed eyes. "We need your help." She said.

"No we don't." Daryl grumbled as he plopped down in the chair next to the bed.

"Need my help? The fuck ya'll need my help for? I'm a sick crippled man here." He winked at her, causing her to grin.

"No you're not. You're an evil sadistic bastard with an eye for revenge. You're mean as they come. So we need your help."

He sighed and then pulled himself up into a sitting position. "If I'm as bad as you're sayin' then what the hell ya in here for? You should be runnin' screamin' from this very room here, lil miss."

"Cause your kind don't scare me, Merle." She said as she adjusted herself so she was sitting next to him with her own back against the headboard and her legs sticking straight out just like him on the bed.

Merle saw Daryl look over and then looked back down to the floor as he tried to hide a grin.

"What'cha want me to do, girl? Want me to go kill him? I can do that. But then everybody in this camp would point their finger right at me. They ain't fallen pray to my charms like you have."

"No, we can't kill him. That's just... well, it's not nice."

A rumbling laugh slipped from both men as they shook their heads at her. She crossed her arms in front of her, looking like she was deep in thought. When she finally looked up at Merle she was frowning. "He's after my mom. I'm sure of that. But she feels sorry for him or something so if Daryl keeps fighting with him then that's just going to keep making her mad so that doesn't help a thing. And you're right, Merle. If you do something then everyone in our group is going to know it was you and then we're back to square one." She shook her head. "Looks like it's up to me."

Merle flashed her a quick angry look just as Daryl's head came up. Daryl growled. "You don't go near the son of a bitch, you hear me?"

"So I can't have a boyfriend and I can't talk to certain people that you don't approve of? Daryl, you're really getting into this dad thing, huh?" She flashed Daryl a grin and Merle couldn't help but laugh again as his little brother's face went red.

"Shut up." He grumbled as he glared at them both.

~H~

When Carol was satisfied that Shane wasn't upset enough to run off on his own and get himself killed she made her way back towards the house. He had given her a whole lot to think about and it made her nervous. She didn't want to argue with her daughter and she didn't want Daryl mad at her either. She didn't much care how Merle felt about it either way. She didn't know why but she couldn't help but blame him for the whole thing even though she knew it was stupid to do so. All he did was find a shack to die in. It had been Sophia who found him and then Sophia to defend him to Carl and then risk her own life to protect his when she killed those Walkers.

But it was Merle who had to be such a bad person that no one had a reason to trust him. Especially her. And she especially didn't have a reason to trust him with her daughter. He had done that to himself by being such a bad person all his life. Daryl had had the same parents and same life as Merle and he wasn't anything like that.

She climbed the porch steps slowly, wishing someone would come out and distract her. Maybe Andrea would come looking for her with a little gossip or Milton would want to sit with her on the porch to talk a while. But no one came to her rescue so she made slow progress down the hall where she knew she would find her daughter. In Merle Dixon's bedroom.

She tapped on the door lightly and she instantly heard Merle call that it was open. She went in and sure enough, there was Sophia, sitting right next to the man right on the bed. She glanced at Daryl and felt relieved to know he had been there too. Maybe he didn't trust Merle either so he would keep an eye on her around him.

She didn't catch his eye. There wasn't anything she wanted to say to him at the moment. She knew that Shane had given him a hard time in the past but it wasn't like that anymore. Daryl should feel bad for the guy. He had heard how Lori spoke to him that night. She didn't like being mad at Daryl but sometimes he made it really hard to not get mad.

"Hi mom." Sophia muttered with a small wave.

"Why don't you come with me? We can get some lunch." She smiled at the girl and she be damned if Sophia didn't first look at Daryl who gave her a nod and then to Merle who did the same. This caused that anger to peak. Who the hell did they think they were? Sophia was her daughter, not theirs. Sophia didn't have any business looking to either of them for permission to go eat lunch with her own mother.

"You have fun on that walk of yours?" Merle asked with a smirk.

She felt her eyes narrow. "A blast Merle. Not that it's any of your business."

He held up one hand and one bandaged stump as Sophia came to stand next to her. "Hey, just tryin' to make conversation with ya, sugar. No need for harsh words."

"Right." She snapped before she steered Sophia out of the room and slammed the door shut.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Sophia asked guardedly as she sat down at the kitchen table.

Carol wasn't even sure how to answer that so she busied herself with making sandwiches. There was lot wrong at the moment. She decided to pick one. "Daryl, for one."

Sophia didn't say anything so she pressed on without looking at her.

"And I just don't think it's a good idea for you to spend time with Merle." She said quietly.

"When the fuck you decide this?" Daryl's voice growled from behind her.

She spun around and there they were. Both Dixon's lingering right there in the kitchen. She hadn't heard either of them but then again she wouldn't have.

"Shane." Sophia said in a voice much louder than Carol was used too. "She decided that today after talking to Shane."

"Sophia, I don't know what you have against that man but..." Carol began but she was cut off by an angry voice.

"You don't know what she has against that son of a bitch?" Daryl asked harshly.

Carol met his cold gaze. "I know that he was kind of a jerk."

"Is that all he was?" He spat, "Cause I recall him bein' a lot more than that."

She turned her back on him and continued to assemble the sandwiches. "Can I have a conversation with my daughter, please?"

She threw an angry glance over her shoulder. He narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Have at it, Carol." He said as he stormed off, grabbing Merle by the shirtsleeve on his way out the door.

The eldest Dixon followed but not before Carol got a look at his face. It wasn't what she was expecting. She thought she would find anger or maybe that smug smirk. What she found was a face full of worry as he glanced towards Sophia. She sat a plate down in front of Sophia but the girl didn't look at her food.

Sophia had never been one for much eye contact. She usually looked away before anyone could read too much in her face but right now she was staring Carol down.

"What did Shane say to you?" She asked in a much more calm voice than she had used earlier.

Carol sighed and finally looked away first. "The truth, Sophia. All he told me was the truth."

"That's unlikely but I guess you could humor me. What sort of truth did he come up with?" She said bitterly.

Carol was stunned for a moment. It wasn't that what she said was very bad. It was just that she wasn't used to her little girl saying much at all. "Merle Dixon is a dangerous guy, Sophia. He isn't dangerous like your daddy was..."

"Stop calling him that." Sophia bit out.

"What?"

"His name was Ed. I didn't call him anything but Ed. That's all he was. So please stop calling him that." She was looking away now.

"Sophia, I know how hard it must have been for you, but when all is said and done Ed was still your..."

"No. You don't know how hard it was on me. I heard everything. All the time. I didn't see it all the time but I always heard. I'd hear him do all those things to you and me and you both kept our mouths shut. I hated him. Daryl's been more of a dad to me in the last two hours than that man was my whole life. And you know what else is hard, mom? Watching you walk away from a man like Daryl so you can go check up on some asshole who isn't half the man Daryl is."

Sophia's voice was quiet, calm. And that's why it came as such a shock to Carol that any of that had come out of her mouth. This wasn't Sophia at all. And then she realized with a jolt that this was exactly who Sophia had always been. Under the constant shadow of fear, this girl was the one waiting for a chance to come out. And Carol had no idea how to deal with any of it. She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "Sophia, I know how you feel about Daryl. And I understand it. And I know that you think Shane is some bad guy and at one time you were right. But he's been through a lot and we have to give people second chances. He's trying to become a better person and I would like to help him."

Sophia pushed her plate away and crossed her arms over the table. "I love you, mom. You are one of the best people in the world."

Carol could see in her face that she wasn't finished. And she was right.

"That's why I never would have pegged you for a hypocrite." And with that she shoved herself away from the table and stormed out of the kitchen.


	41. Chapter 41

**Sorry if the last few chapters have been boring! I didn't really realize how tedious it was going to be to build these relationships up! I've managed to put a LOT on my own plate and it is proving to be difficult. SO, with that said, there is a point to all of this dialogue and character development! I promise =) There will be action.**

Chapter Forty One

Daryl picked up his bag and threw it over his shoulder and then grabbed his crossbow. He knew he was the type of man that messed up sometimes. Especially when it came to this whole woman thing. So he was willing to admit when he was wrong. He had been wrong before and he had admitted it and he even apologized, which was something he hated doing. But he'd be damned before he apologized to that woman over something that wasn't even his fault. And shoving Shane off the porch today wasn't his fault. Not really. It was Shane's fault. So he wasn't going to hang around in their room and wait for her to come in and give him a bunch of shit for doing something that was completely justified. She just couldn't see it because she was the type of person that believed the best in everyone just because she was that good.

Unless it came to a certain Dixon. Daryl had to admit that most of the time he loathed his brother. He'd always had love for him. Had always had his back and was always willing to go above and beyond for the man, but he loathed him non the less. But Carol was wrong. He was starting to believe that the only salvation Merle would ever find in his life was Sophia. She'd done to Merle the same thing Carol had done to him. The kid was showing him that it was okay to not be such an asshole. Merle needed that. And for Carol to say what she said in that kitchen, well, it pissed him off.

So now he was leaving. His bag was packed and thrown over his shoulder and he was gone. Of course, all he was doing was moving outside to camp but still. He felt good about it. It'd teach her a lesson. He didn't even care that he was acting like a pissed of child. He'd act like a pissed off child if he wanted to. He just hoped someone had a spare tent since his got left at camp. Maybe that Milton guy had some. With all the crap that Jenner had loaded them up with surely he could scrounge something up. At this point he wouldn't care to sleep on the damn ground. As long as he could get away from that pissed off woman.

He was about to walk out of the bedroom door when a pissed off woman barged in. But it wasn't the woman he was expecting. It was Maggie.

"What the hell?" Daryl grumbled as she pushed past him.

She had kicked the door shut on her way in and she was now sitting angrily on the edge of the bed. He glanced nervously towards the door again. He was in enough hot water. If Carol came in now and there was some girl on the bed she would be super pissed and then he'd never hear the end of it.

"I know me and you ain't talked much, Daryl. But from what I can tell you're a real stand up guy. I like you."

"What the fuck are you talkin' about? Get the hell off that bed girl, you tryna get me in deeper shit than I'm already in?" He choked as he glanced at the door once more. "Whatever your sellin' I ain't interested."

Maggie frowned and then crossed her arms. "What are you talkin' about?" She asked as she stood up, arms still crossed angrily in front of her. "I came in here to talk to you about Merle."

"Merle?" He visibly relaxed. "What the hell you wanna talk about Merle for?"

"What the hell did you think I was in here to talk about?" She asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Nothin'." he grumbled.

"What is wrong with him?" She asked as she pointed an angry finger in the direction of the room Merle was occupying.

"He sawed off his own hand so he could get off a roof. He got an infection. He's an asshole. He's a sexist prick. He's an arrogant bastard. You can tell when to stop whenever you're ready." He said dryly. "I can go on like this all day."

"You need to talk to him." She said angrily.

"Me? Maggie, Merle is just Merle, ain't nothin' nobody can say to him that's gonna change Merle." Not when it came to women anyway. Merle had a way with words, and sometimes even actions, when it came to the opposite sex. Daryl had told him a thousand times that he should probably try a new tactic if he wanted someone that wasn't a step away from a hooker. But Merle didn't listen. He liked his women to be just as unattached as himself. A woman that wouldn't mind taking a man in a bathroom stall.

"Well, the next time he slips his good hand up my thigh don't be mad at me when I chop it off."

Daryl sighed. "It don't matter to me what you do to him."

She finally realized that he was standing there with his things. "Did daddy tell ya'll you had to leave?" She asked, a bit of panic in her voice.

"No, I'm goin' out there with the rest of my group." He hadn't meant to say his group.

"Well, you need me to help you with Carol's things?" She asked as the rest of her anger faded.

He shook his head. "She ain't comin'."

Her brow furrowed. "Why not?"

He shrugged and then slipped quickly out the door. She was on his heels. "You gonna follow me around now?" He grumbled as he pushed through the screen door.

"What did you do to Carol?" Maggie asked as she hurried to keep up with his longer strides.

He stopped and glared at her. "I didn't do shit to Carol. She's just bein' Carol. Ain't none of your business little girl, go on somewhere."

"Screw you, Dixon. Don't forget who's farm you're on."

He shook his head and kept walking towards the rest of the group. He spotted the person he was looking for right away. He was sitting with Andrea under one of the trees that surrounded the camp.

"Hey Milton." He called as he tried to pick up his pace to get away from Maggie.

Milton pushed his glasses up his nose and stood up. Andrea did the same. "Hi, Daryl." Milton said in that hushed voice he often used.

"Milton, there any spare tents in that haul you brought with you?" Daryl asked.

Milton shook his head. "No. I thought you were staying in the house. Hershel said you needed more rest even though you were too stubborn to listen. His words, not mine, of course."

He cursed and then glanced hopefully at Andrea but she was already shaking her head. "Sorry, Daryl. I ruined my own back at the quarry, remember? Where's Carol?"

"I don't know. Ain't my day for babysittin' grown ass women." He said a little too harshly. But Andrea was used to him by now. She just rolled her eyes and smiled a little.

~H~

Sophia was mad. Really mad. She had never been mad at her mom before and she didn't like to be which only made her more mad. She kicked at a stone as she made her way towards the barn. Carl fell into step beside her.

"Where you going in such a hurry?" He asked.

She just shrugged. "I don't know. Just on a walk I guess." she said quietly. She was trying to keep the anger out of her voice and Carl didn't question her about anything so she figured it was working.

"I figured you'd be with Merle." He said and she picked up something in his own voice that normally wasn't there.

"There isn't anything wrong with hanging out with Merle. Why does everyone try to make a big deal about him? Why can't anyone just leave him alone?"

"Shane says he's dangerous." Carl said as they stepped into the barn.

"And I say Shane's a big moron that doesn't know what he's talking about." She snapped.

Carl gave her a look and then shook his head. "Shane's my friend."

"And Merle is mine."

Carl nodded. "So should we just agree to disagree?" he asked with a sly smile.

She couldn't help but smile back. Sometimes Carl was an okay friend.

They made their way to the hayloft and sat in silence looking out at the farm, the fields and then the woods in the distance. It gave her time to think about things, which was why she had come here to begin with. It looked like a good place to just think. Carl was good about keeping as quiet as her most of the time.

She thought about what her mom had said about second chances. She didn't understand why it was okay to give someone like Shane a second chance and not someone like Merle. Sure he wasn't all that nice and he cussed even more than Daryl but under all of that was a pretty good guy. He made her laugh and he listened to her when she had something to say.

Before all of this, Shane had been a cop. A pretty upstanding guy to hear Carl tell it. He was Rick's best friend and he was like an uncle to Carl. He had probably saved a lot of peoples lives and he had probably locked up some real scuzz buckets. But, to her, that was the person Shane wanted people to see. He wanted people to think that he was good. She had become pretty good at reading people over the years. She knew that the man everyone saw wasn't the person he really was. Deep down Shane was the bad guy.

Merle on the other hand didn't give a crap what people thought. He was going to do what he wanted to do and when he wanted to do it. She had seen how he treated other people. She even seen the way he had treated his own brother. But he was different and she had saw it back there in that shack in the woods. On the inside, he was good. He hid it well but it was true. For some reason he just chose to hide it, the same way Shane had hidden who he really was.

If that was so easy for her to see then why was it so hard for her mom to see? She couldn't figure it out. What she did know was that, for once in her life, she wasn't going to listen to what her mom said. Because her mom was dead wrong about Merle Dixon and as soon as she figured out a way to show her mom what kind of jerk Shane really was she would know it too.

"If I show you something do you promise not to tell my dad?" Carl asked, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Sure." She said absently, still looking at the view instead of at him.

"I took this out of the bag my dad went back to get. You know, the one he had dropped in Atlanta." He shoved something cold into her hands.

She looked down and her mouth fell open in surprise. "A gun? Carl why would you steal a gun?" She tried to hand it back to him but he shook his head.

"I stole two guns." He looked at her. "What happened to us out there..." He looked away and took a deep breath, "That could happen again. I saw you. I saw what you had to do to save us, twice. And I didn't do anything. I don't want that to happen again. We need these."

"But you stole them. And not to mention we don't even know how to use the damn things. You should have thought about that." She once again tried to hand him the gun back and he once again refused to take it.

"We'll learn how." He said stubbornly.

Sophia just stared at him. "I know that Daryl seems like he doesn't care about certain things but he's still friends with your dad, Carl. If we show up with these and ask him to teach us to use them I can't say he wouldn't rat you out."

Carl gave her a grin. "But me and you both know one Dixon that wont give a crap where these came from. He'd probably like me a little more if he found out I swiped them."

Sophia's eyes lit up. "You know, sometimes you amaze me, Carl Grimes." She stared down at the gun in her hands with a grin. She knew Daryl wouldn't mind teaching her a thing or two about guns. But Merle was the man for this job, she was sure it.

"Let's just hope he doesn't get bored and shoot us for fun." He said with a little less enthusiasm.

She scowled. "You know, sometimes I think you'd be perfect if you'd been born a mute." She mumbled.

~H~

Carol stood there with her hands on her hips in the middle of the room she had been sharing with Daryl. His stuff was gone but she wasn't too worried. He wouldn't have gone too far. He was just angry at her. And her daughter was angry at her. And she didn't really blame either one of them. She sighed and then sat down on the bed and sulked.

The way Sophia had stormed out of the kitchen earlier had stunned her. She couldn't believe that she had managed to upset the girl that much. But she had a point. Carol was so quick to forgive and forget everything Shane had done and she was steadfastly refusing to do the same thing for Merle. But they were two very different people. Weren't they?

"You're wrong, darlin'."

Her head shot up and there was Merle, standing in the doorway. He strolled in and shut the door behind him and suddenly she felt like a woman trapped in a room with a bear. She stiffened and watched him warily. How could Sophia, as small as she was feel so safe with this predatory man?

"About what, Merle?" She asked quietly, thankful that her voice still sounded strong.

"About whatever it is ya think I'd do to that girl of yours." He walked over to her and sat down but he kept his distance, probably able to smell her anxiety.

She turned her head to gaze at him. "I know what kind of man you are. I don't know what it is you are doing here but I don't believe for a second that you are a changed man. I'm waiting just like everyone else. We all know it's coming Merle."

He eyed her for a long time and eventually she had to look away. "That's smart I suppose. I ain't a changed man. For a man to change he's gotta feel like there's somethin' wrong with who he is. Ain't nothin' wrong with me. I just do in the open what other people do behind closed doors. I say the shit that other people ain't got the balls to say. Ain't nothin' wrong with a little honesty."

"There is when you hurt people. You don't care who you hurt and my daughter has been hurt enough. She don't see you for who you are. Not like the rest of us do."

He let out a raspy laugh. "I tell you what. This whole mother fucker could go up in flames and I can't honestly say I'd bat an eyelash as ya'll burned." He stood up and her wide eyes followed him. He stood in front of her, looking down at her with a cold smile. "But you can bet that pretty little ass of yours, I'd get that girl out before I did."

She felt the blood drain from her face. "You're sick." She whispered.

He leaned down so their faces were but a few inches apart and then he reached out his hand and ran his fingers slowly across her neck, barely touching her skin and causing her breath to catch in her throat. His touch felt too much like his brothers but that cold look on his face was much different. But then he smiled.

"We all got a monster inside us, sugar. I choose to let mine breath a bit. But your monster's in there too. You remember that."

"What are you talking about?" Her heart was pounding in fear and his warm hand was still on her neck, now cupping the side of it, her pulse was pounding against one huge palm.

"These old bruises you got here." he brushed his thumb against the hollow between her collar bones. "This the reason you gutted your ol' man?"

His eyes were locked on hers and she couldn't look away from him and she couldn't think anymore. She nodded.

He nodded in return and then he let the smile drop from his face. "Ya let that monster breath. You did somethin' I wouldn't even do. So stop."

"Stop what?" She could barely hear her own voice.

He leaned in a little closer, this time brushing that slow thumb up the center of her throat. "Stop actin' like you and your people are any different than me. You ain't. You just hide it better." His voice was as low as hers. He patted the side of her neck gently and then stood up quickly, looking down at her for a few long seconds before leaving the room.

She stared after him with wide eyes.


	42. Chapter 42

**Not sure if I'll post two chapters today since it's the weekend and I usually feel like no one would be doing much reading. But I don't know. Hope you are all having a good weekend so far! Mine is basically lame! Glad you all liked the last chapter! I was getting paranoid I guess ;) Read and review! **

Chapter Forty Two

Daryl trudged back towards the farmhouse angrily. He needed to find Merle. If everyone had a problem with his brother then it was his job to fix it. He had managed to scrounge up a few tents and he was going to set up camp away from the others. If they wanted his brother on the outskirts then he would join him. And he figured he needed to get him away from Maggie before he got them all kicked off the farm.

He let the screen door slam behind him and then took off towards the room he had shared with Carol. He stopped in the entrance to the hallway as he watched Merle step out of the room and head off towards the kitchen.

He frowned. What the hell was Merle doing in their room? He went to the door and cracked it open. Carol was sitting on the bed, eyes wide and hand to her throat staring off at nothing. She nearly jumped off the bed when he threw the door open and stormed in.

"What the fuck did he do?" He asked, feeling a knot form in the pit of his stomach. He wished he could be sure that Merle wouldn't have done anything to hurt her but by the look on her face something had happened and it hadn't been anything good. He slammed the door closed behind him.

She looked at him, eyes still wide. "Nothing. He didn't do anything." She said in a hushed voice that he had to strain his ears to even hear.

"Bullshit. I know he did something cause you look damn near scared to death. Why you holdin' your throat like that?"

She looked confused for a second and then dropped her hand. "We just talked."

He didn't like the tone of her voice and he was cursing himself for leaving her alone. Even though it was her who had to start acting like a raging lunatic. He still found himself more concerned about the strange look on her face than he was angry for what she had said earlier.

She wasn't looking at him so he wasn't sure if she was still mad or not but he decided right then that he really didn't care. He knelt in front of her with his forearms resting on her thighs and his hands gripping her waist. Finally her eyes met his. They were wet and he instantly tensed. What could Merle have done to cause her to cry?

"Sophia called me a hypocrite." She said when she finally looked at him. "And your brother..." She shook her head and smiled a sad smile.

"My brother what? What'd he do?"

She blew out a breath and finally the small smile she had on her mouth grew. "He was just reassuring me that Sophia was safe with him. In his own way, of course."

"Was he mean? I can shoot him in the ass if ya want." He knew she thought he was joking. He wasn't. He had shot Merle in the ass with an arrow on more than one occasion.

She did laugh which made him feel a lot better. "No need for any ass shooting. Merle sure does have a way about him. But the three of you were right to be mad over what I said. If you trust him and Sophia trusts him then I need to trust him too. Even though he's scary as hell." She added.

Daryl scoffed and pulled her closer, causing her to move her knees apart. "Merle ain't too scary."

She felt like she still needed to talk to Merle. Like she owed him an apology. But it was really his fault that people seen him in that light. It wasn't hard to be kind to people. Even Daryl had learned. She pushed his hair back off his forehead and kissed his cheek. She had almost forgotten what she had been thinking about before Merle came in and turned her afternoon upside down.

"Is this going to happen every single time things don't go your way?" She asked.

He frowned. "What are you talkin' about?"

"You packed up and moved out, Daryl." She rolled her eyes. "You are so dramatic."

"I ain't dramatic." he scoffed. "I was comin' back for your stuff." He lied. "I just thought it was time to get outta the old man's hair. It's bad enough Merle's got a room. Hell, even Milton has his own room here. When we do leave that man probably wont go anywhere."

She sighed. "I like it here."

He studied her face and then drew her even closer. "You want me to talk to Rick about stayin'?"

"You said it wasn't safe here."

"Ain't safe anywhere now days." He said as he pushed her until she was on her back.

She pulled his face to hers and kissed him eagerly and he responded the way he always did. His heart started pounding and his breath came out in a rush. Sex hadn't dampened that strange need that welled up in him every single time she touched him. Didn't dampen it at all. It made it worse. Now that he knew exactly what it was like to be with her he couldn't keep it out of his head. He wrapped one arm around her back and then moved her up so he could get better leverage.

"Are you really thinking about that again?" She teased when his mouth moved from hers down her jaw and to her throat.

"Mmm Hmm." Was his only response as he bit lightly at the skin right below her ear. He couldn't help but smile when he felt her breath catch.

The shirt she was wearing buttoned up the front and he started at the bottom and worked up until he only had about four more to go but he left them alone, opening the shirt enough to keep her breasts covered but her stomach exposed. He dipped his head down and used his teeth on the soft skin there, avoiding the spots where the bruises hadn't faded all the way from the last beating Ed had ever given her. He never would have thought that shy quiet Carol was the type of woman that liked to get bit. But every time he did it she would gasp and then he felt her hands in his hair pushing his head further down.

"Damn, baby brother. I had no idea you had skills like that. Bet it taste like heaven a little further down."

Daryl didn't even pull away. What was the point? "God damn you, Merle." He growled and then just laid his cheek against the warm skin of her stomach. He was pretty sure she was mortified but he was just pissed. He glared at the smirking man but Merle didn't look like he cared.

He closed the door and came further into the room just like he had done earlier. Merle was one of those dumb asses that didn't take a hint. Daryl raised his head and glanced towards Carol but to his surprise she looked like she was trying to hide a smile. Her eyes shot down to him and she shrugged like it was no big deal. But then he felt her stiffen and watched her eyes widen and then glance up. He did the same.

Merle was standing right by the bed, a frown on his face, actually running a finger over one of the larger bruises on her ribcage. Daryl slapped his hand away. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" He snapped and then raised up on her knees.

Merle didn't look at him but his frown deepened as he stared at the faded bruises until Daryl started buttoning the shirt back up. "Looks like I was wrong." Merle said in a quiet rasp.

Daryl glared up at him. "Bout what? Not that this is news or nothin'. You're usually wrong. I just never get to hear you admittin' it."

"I shoulda let you bash the fuckers brains in while we was at the quarry." He said simply and then looked away. "He ever touch Sophia like that?"

"He hit her a few times. I'd get in the way though. It usually landed me in the hospital." Carol said quietly.

Daryl stood up and then pulled her up in a sitting position when he was finished buttoning her shirt back up. She was watching Merle as he stood in front of the windows looking out. He couldn't gauge her expression but she looked liked she may have been deep in thought.

"Was there somethin' you needed Merle? Or are you just in a hurry to add cock blocker to your list of bad qualities?"

That was enough to wipe the troubled look off his face as he turned around. He smirked and then shook his head. "I do no cock blockin', little brother. From my view over there the only thing I interrupted was you givin' this bad girl here a tongue lashin'."

"Jesus, Merle." Carol groaned as her face burned with embarrassment.

Merle just chuckled. "I came to tell ya that we all got invited to a little powwow tonight. The good doctor wants us all to gather round and eat. Then I'm pretty sure his ass is plannin' to send us all packin'.

Daryl sat down on the edge of the bed. "How do you know?"

"Heard him and that girl hollerin' about it when I was tryna get some beauty rest. She wants us here, he wants us gone."

"Did he say why?" Carol asked as she felt her heart sink.

Merle shook his head. "Heard'em tellin' his girls that he did what he was spose too. Offered us shelter and now we ain't in much need for his services so he believes it's time to tell us to hit the road."

Daryl rubbed the back of his neck. "I need to find Rick. We gotta talk to the old man. If this is where you wanna stay then we need to try."

Carol shook her head and gave him a smile. "It's okay. He's done a lot for us already. If we have to hit the road then to hell with this place." She shrugged. "But bring your stuff back in, Dixon. That bed isn't going to waste since the clock's going to be ticking." She winked at him as he felt his mouth drop and then she walked out of the room.

Merle was shaking his head and looking at the door when Daryl finally collected his wits. "Never in a million fuckin' years woulda guessed she's turn out to be so goddamn sexy." Merle mused.

"Merle!" Daryl nearly shouted and swiped him in the back of the head. "Shut up. And if you put your grimy fingers on her again I'm gonna break'em off."

Merle followed him to the door. "Come on now baby brother. How many times did I offer ta share my own with ya?"

Daryl ignored him. Sick bastard always had to talk. He couldn't ever just shut his mouth. But he had to admit that he was right. Carol wasn't the same woman he had sat with by the water at the quarry. Not a bit. And he wasn't the same man either.

~H~

Sophia wasn't sure how long they had been up there but she felt like it was starting to get late. The sun was starting to go down but it had been so peaceful and they had both spent so much time on the go the last few days that she just wanted to be able to enjoy being still for a while.

"I was wrong about Daryl. And I'm sorry about that." Carl said quietly.

Sophia looked over at him but he was still looking straight ahead. His eyes were filled with tears though and she felt her heart break a little for her friend. "It's okay. As long as we were found, that's what matters." She frowned as one of those tears escaped and ran down his cheek.

He shook his head and wiped the tear away angrily before looking at her. "I thought my dad would be the one. My dad and Shane would show up and get us out of those woods. I always looked at them like they were heroes. And I always heard Shane talkin' about Daryl and Merle like they were nothin' but trash. How they were no good. And then Daryl ends up being the one to find us. And Merle, even though I still don't much like him, he told us to run. He cared enough to not want us to get hurt. And while all that was going on my dad and Shane both were right here."

Sophia wasn't sure what to say. Carl had always talked about how big of a hero his dad had been. That was before Rick ever found camp. And he was always going on and on about Shane too. And they had both let him down. She had never expected anything from Ed so he never let her down. Her mom was letting her down a little but it was nothing like this. She didn't know how to comfort him but she remembered in that shack, after those Walkers. He was there for her and it made her feel a hundred times better just knowing he was there.

Another tear escaped and before he could turn his head she cupped the side of his face and caught the moisture with her thumb. She kept her hand there so he wouldn't look away and his wide eyes met hers. "You can't think like that, okay? You heard what Daryl said. Him and Shane had been looking. They just aren't trackers like Daryl so he ended up being the one to find us. Your dad is a good man. So what if he wasn't the one that found us? We were found. As long as we were found it doesn't matter."

"It mattered to me." He whispered.

She kept her hand in place but moved so she was facing him more with her body. He looked so sad that she almost wanted to cry herself. She moved her hand and then pulled him in for a hug. That was all she knew to do. Try to make him feel like he wasn't alone. She was his friend and she was there for him. They had to stick together now. She felt his arms go around her loosely and then heard him chuckle next to her ear.

"What?" She smiled happily. At least he was laughing now.

"You." He said into her hair and she could here the smile in his own voice.

"What about me?" She asked.

He pulled back so he could look at her and shook his head but he kept his arm around her and she kept her own draped across his slender shoulders. He grinned and his eyes were dry. "You go from punching me in the face to huggin' on me all the time. Girls are crazy."

She laughed because it was true.

"Sophia!"

They both jerked apart and looked down in the direction of the angry voice that had yelled her name. "Oh shit." She whispered.

Daryl was down there, looking up at them with his hands on his hips. His face was red and his eyes were narrowed and he looked like he was about to murder someone. Merle was a few feet behind him but he was grinning up at them. Daryl pointed an angry finger. "Get your skinny ass down here. Now!" he roared.

She glanced quickly at Carl, remembering the conversation her and Daryl had had about boys. "Carl, go out the back. Run like hell until you find your dad." She whispered as she stood up.

"Then what?" He asked, clearly confused.

"Then you best start prayin'." She said and then she took off.


	43. Chapter 43

**I couldn't resist. I have to keep posting chapters so we can finally get back to the exciting stuff! The quicker I get them up the quicker we get to that! Someone mentioned the Walkers in the barn. There are none. Well, something is going on but as far as the barn being full of Walkers, that isn't happening in this story. Something like that is coming up but it is on a much smaller scale. There is no Walker Sophia so that part doesn't have to be such a main focus. Well, now I just sound vague and confusing... But I don't want to drop any spoilers. I'll get to that though XD. I promise! Have a safe and happy Saturday! =) And THANK YOU! I love all of you for reviewing!**

Chapter Forty Three

Sophia wasn't to sure how to defuse the situation. She walked out of the barn and right up to him even though he looked scary. His arms were crossed over his chest and his blue eyes were shooting daggers at her.

"Hi Daryl." She sighed.

His scowled deepened. "Don't you hi Daryl me. What the hell did we just talk about? What'd I tell ya?"

She spared Merle a quick glance. He was smirking and watching Daryl with a look on his face that seemed to say that he found this situation completely amusing. He looked down at her and winked and then looked back up at the back of Daryl's head. She offered him a small smile before she faced Daryl's wrath once more. "I wasn't doing anything." She said with a slight shrug.

His hands went to his hips. "Don't tell me you didn't do anything. I saw you doin' somethin'."

She glanced back towards Merle but he was still studying Daryl.

"Don't look at him. He ain't gonna help ya." Daryl growled.

"We hugged, Daryl. Jeeze." She tried to step around him but he moved so quick that she nearly bumped into him. She felt her own scowl forming.

His face was still hard and his hands were still planted firmly on his hips. "Well, don't do it again. Huggin' just leads too..."

"Would you stop it!" Sophia blushed and then pushed past him. She fell into step with Merle. "Has he always been such an ass?" She grumbled.

"Hey, I heard that, kid." He called from behind them.

Merle just chuckled as Sophia looked over her shoulder. "Good!" She called back.

"Sophia!"

She stopped and spun around. He walked up to her and crouched down so they were eye level. He didn't look mad anymore. "What?" She asked in a guarded voice.

"Sorry." He grumbled. He didn't look very sorry at all but she knew how stubborn he was and she had to smile. He was trying. That's what counted.

"It's okay. But you need to work on calming yourself down a little. I heard everything you said earlier. No kissing boys. I got it."

He nodded and stood up. "Your momma wants to talk to you and then we gotta eat so don't be wonderin' off anymore."

She nodded. "Do you mind if I talk to Merle for a minute? Alone?" She asked as sweetly as she could.

He narrowed his eyes. "The hell you wanna talk to him for?"

"I'll tell you later, okay?"

He stared at her for quite a while but finally, to her relief, he nodded. He glanced up at Merle. "You keep that goddamn Grimes boy away from her."

She rolled her eyes but let him get away with it because she needed to talk to Merle. Merle nodded and they both watched as he strolled off towards the house. Then Merle looked at her curiously.

"I'm gonna show you somethin' but you have to swear that you wont tell anybody else. Especially my mom and Daryl. Can you do that?" She asked in a hushed tone as she glanced around.

He nodded without hesitation. "Yep."

She reached behind her and pulled the gun that Carl had given her out of her waistband and handed it to him. He looked at it and whistled appreciatively. "Nice piece, girl. I had myself one a lot like a long time ago. Where'd it come from?"

"Carl stole two guns from his dad." She whispered.

He met her eyes and gave her a wide grin. "Did he now? Maybe there's some hope for that scrawny little fucker."

"Will you help us? Teach us how to shoot?" She asked hurriedly glancing around.

He handed the gun back to her and she stuffed it back into her waistband and pulled her shirt down over it firmly. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You know how pissed off my brother would be if he knew what you was askin'? And you know he'd teach ya'll himself. You ain't gotta come to ol' Merle with this, girl."

"They are stolen guns. I know he would teach me how to use one but he wouldn't let me keep it. He'd be to afraid my mom would find out. Or he would think I'd end up shooting myself on accident."

"And you don't think I'd have a problem with you two stealin'?" Merle asked with a severe look on his face.

"I didn't steal. I accepted stolen property. Much lesser charge, Merle"

The look on his face remained the same and she thought for a minute that she had made a mistake by telling him about the guns. But then he laughed heartily. "Shit, lil miss. Sure I'll teach you to use a gun. But ya think you can talk that boyfriend a yers to grab up one for myself?" He winked.

She scowled at that. "He is _not_ my boyfriend. And no, I wont have him steal you a gun. I trust you. I think you'd take a bullet for me. Not in the head or anything, you're still Merle Dixon, but I think you might take one in the leg or something if it'd save my life. But like I said, you're still Merle and I wouldn't put it past you to kill the others. And I like the others."

His brow pulled down in a frown. "Well that don't seem fair. What the hell is in it for me?"

She sighed. "You get a chance to do something that would piss everyone off. You know how mad Rick would be if he found out that Carl was hanging out with you at all?"

He seemed to turn this over in his head for a moment and then finally nodded. "I spose I gotta take what I can get. But you know you're gonna end up givin' my brother a heart attack, right?"

"What he don't know wont hurt him." She said uncertainly as they finally started for the farmhouse.

"That's the truth, darlin'. But my baby brother has a knack for figurin' shit out quick."

"Let's just hope that he's too preoccupied to notice." She flashed him a grin as they climbed the steps and he returned it with one of his own.

~H~

Carol kept casting Daryl worried glances. He was mad, she could tell. "What's wrong?" She asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

He frowned and glanced around the living room to make sure they were alone. "She's up to somethin'."

"Who?" Carol asked.

"Sophia. I caught her up there in the barn with that idiot boy and then she had somethin' to talk to Merle about and she wouldn't say what it was. She just said she'd tell me later." He sounded highly offended and Carol couldn't help but laugh.

His frown turned into a scowl. "The fuck is so funny about anything I just said? You're ears stopped up or somethin'?"

"Okay, Daryl. What were her and Carl doing?" She asked as she tried to look serious.

"Huggin'." He grumbled.

Carol hid a fit of laughter behind her hand and it earned her another glare from Daryl. "It ain't funny, Carol."

"Fine. I'll talk to her about that. Now, what do you think her and Merle are up too?"

I don't know yet, but I'll figure it out."

She nodded. "I'm sure you will. But just don't forget who we're talking about. She isn't a bad kid." She eyed him. "And Carl isn't a bad kid either."

He snorted.

They both turned when they heard the screen door open and Merle and Sophia walked in. She couldn't help but notice that they both glanced right at Daryl. Merle just looked like Merle. He smirked and then walked off towards the kitchen. Sophia on the other hand really did look like she was up to something. Her smile was too bright and she wouldn't look at him for very long. Her eyes met Carols and the relief on her face was visible.

"You wanted to talk to me?" She asked.

Carol glanced at him one more time before looking back at her daughter with a smile. She nodded and held out her hand. She led her to the bedroom and shut the door behind her. Sophia sat down in the chair that was still there from the night Daryl had gotten shot.

"Sophia, about what you said earlier..." She began but Sophia shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I never should have said. I was just mad."

She smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed right across from her. "You had every right to be. I was wrong and I can admit it."

Sophia's brows pulled together. "But I thought..."

"It doesn't matter. If you trust Merle then I need to trust Merle too. I was so hell bent on convincing everyone that Shane was an okay man that I never even once thought to apply my own logic to Merle. Not that Merle makes things any easier."

Sophia nodded. "I know. But I trust him."

Carol could hear the truth in the girls voice and she just nodded. "So are we okay?" She asked with a small smile.

Sophia looked liked she had to think about it for a while but eventually she grinned and nodded. "We're okay." She got up to leave but Carol held onto to her hands tightly. "Sophia? Could you maybe cut Daryl some slack. He's trying, okay?"

Sophia rolled her eyes. "No he isn't trying, and that's the scary part. Somehow all this bossing me around and worrying like an old lady is coming natural to him. Which makes me think that maybe it's going to get even worse. Do you know he lectured me about boys today? And you should have seen him out there! He about had a stroke just because I hugged Carl."

Carol had to swallow back laughter. "Do you want me to tell him to back off?"

Sophia's head snapped up. "No." She said quickly and then had to hide her own smile. "I like that he cares. It just gets annoying."

Carol pulled Sophia into a hug. "I like that he cares too." She said happily.

~H~

Merle didn't like the idea of sitting through another meal with all these assholes. It was getting easier to keep his mouth shut. He would do it for the girl if that's really the way she wanted him to repay her for saving his sorry ass, but he didn't have to like it at all. It made him feel weak. When something needed to be said you could count on Merle Dixon to say it. And there was a lot that needed to be said here. But he kept his mouth shut.

Hershel and Milton had pushed tables together to accommodate everyone. And, of course, everyone was already huddled in their little cliques while they waited for everyone. Milton, Andrea and Dale were talking about something, probably something boring since he couldn't see Milton being that great a conversationalist. Amy and Glen were lounging in the corner laughing quietly about something. Lori was talking to Carl and the blonde girl at the table and that idiot kid that shot his brother was hovering around them. Daryl was having himself a fine old time hanging around with Rick and that asshole that had dropped the keys to the handcuffs in Atlanta.

Hershel was there too talking quietly with Patricia and her husband. He thought Patricia was alright. She didn't take his shit either. And then there was Shane who was leaning against the door frame alone and scowling. Merle hated that because him and the asshole deputy were probably mirroring each other. He sighed and shook his head.

He looked down at the only other lonely person in the room. Maggie sat towards the end of the table with her arms crossed and staring off into space. She looked pretty upset and he thought about maybe trying to talk to her but then changed his mind. What the hell could he say that wasn't just going to piss her off? And he also had the bad habit of telling people to get the fuck over it. He knew she wouldn't take kindly to that so he stayed where he was.

She looked up at him then, like she felt his eyes on her. She gave him a humorless smile and then kicked the chair next to her out a bit. He took it for what it was. A clear invitation. Not that he got his hopes up or anything. She was clearly too young. Or he was clearly too old. And she was just too fucking perfect. Not that he would tell another soul what he was thinking at the moment. Either way he took her up on her offer just so he didn't have to look like Shane over there, without a friend in the world.

"What's with the long face there, beautiful?" He asked in a low voice.

She studied him for a few long seconds and then shrugged. "Daddy thinks it's time ya'll moved on. You and your brother's on the mend and the kids are back. He don't see no reason for ya'll to stay on anymore."

Merle leaned back in his seat and sighed. "I know how hard this must be on ya. You're gonna miss 'Ol Merle something awful, ain'tcha?" He winked.

"You know what, Merle? I just might." She smiled and then slapped his thigh. "It took a bit but I'm getting' used to you."

"Is 'at right? I knew you fell in love on that horse, darlin'." He winked.

"Don't ruin it, Merle." She said dryly.

"So that means you wasn't impressed?" He asked mildly, cocking an eyebrow at her.

She gave him a stern look but then he watched as her eyes raked down and actually settled on his crotch before she looked back up and winked. "Don't jump to conclusions, Merle."

Well, I be damned. He thought as she turned her head away from him and waited for this strange dinner to start.


	44. Chapter 44

**How about some Carol POV smut. Good stuff I believe. Lucky lady. Haha. We just have to get through this extremely awkward dinner first. Hope you enjoy! Thank you for the reviews! I can NOT say that enough! I have some catching up to do but I'll try to post another one in about 12 hours! =)**

Chapter Forty Three

Dinner was tense. Everyone pretty much knew why they were there and Daryl wasn't so sure if Rick was going to be able to give the old man a good enough argument to convince him to let them stay. He could only hope. It wasn't a bad set up really if they could make it more secure. The house was big enough for everyone and Hershel wouldn't even have to let them stay in the house at all. They could stay outside. That was what they were all used to to begin with. They could secure the fences. Maybe put more up. With the guns and things that Jenner had sent with them they wouldn't really have a problem keeping everyone safe.

The food was good but the atmosphere wasn't. There was a gloom hanging over everyone. Even Hershel, who was the one that was causing all the tension to begin with. Not that Daryl could blame him much. Not really. If it was just him and Carol and Sophia in a house there was no way he would trust a stranger enough to let them in. Even if they were shot. It was too risky. Hershel was trying to protect his daughters, and the way Merle was looking at Maggie, wasn't going to help them make a case.

He kicked him under the table and Merle glared at him. Daryl gave him a look and then motioned towards Hershel with a nod of his head. All Merle did was roll his eyes.

The only sound in the large dining room was the sound of forks scraping plates and the occasional request for someone to pass something. It was making him tense and he caught Ricks eye from down the table where Rick was sitting to Hershel's right side. Rick gave him a slight nod and then turned to Hershel just as Hershel turned to him. Daryl felt Carol's hand slip into his where it rested on his lap.

He stopped mid chew when his mind skipped back to that night at the CDC. But she just twined her fingers through his and smiled down at her plate a little.

"Hershel." Rick began in that calm and collected tone he used when he wanted to get his point across. "We know you want us to go. I understand your concerns, I really do but we were all hopin' that maybe you would reconsider."

Hershel regarded him levelly for a few long moments before his eyes scanned every face at the table. Lingering on Sophia and then Carl, before slowly shaking his head and returning his eyes to Rick. "I can't. You people are a strong group. And soon there will be a cure. I strongly believe that."

Before Rick could say a word Daryl was talking. He surprised himself by sounding calm. "There ain't a cure. These people ain't sick, Hershel. These people are dead. There ain't a cure for dead." He felt the eyes of everyone on him now and he wished he had just kept his mouth shut. And then Carol gave his fingers a squeeze and he met Hershel's eyes. "You send us out there and you're pretty much handin' out a potential death sentence to everybody in this group."

"It can't be as bad as you all say it is. We haven't seen much out here. If it was as bad as you say then surely there would have been more here." Hershel argued.

Sophia spoke up then. "They're comin'." She said ominously. "They're out there in the woods right now. They are forming herds now. All the one's we saw in the woods together in groups of two's and three's will band together and eventually they'll sniff this place out. And with us gone, your family wont have a chance."

Daryl looked at her. She was smart. Make it seem as though them staying would be the safest thing for Hershel's family instead of arguing how it was be the best thing for themselves. Hershel, though, still didn't look like he was buying any of it. Once again he shook his head.

He gave Sophia a warm smile. "I know they may seem scary, the way they look right now but can you really tell me that you don't think they aren't people anymore?" He asked her.

"Sir, Carl and I were chased through the woods by those things. We've seen them tear apart dead animals and eat them raw. And not only that but just yesterday I was about five inches away from getting my face torn off by the teeth of one of them. Right before I killed it. They are not people. Monsters are real, Mr. Greene. You need to accept it because if you don't your family is going to be the ones that pay."

Hershel looked like his resolve wavered a bit but he shook his head once more. "I can't. I'm sorry."

"My wife is pregnant. Daryl's right. If you send us out there then you're handing us a death sentence. This baby could be a blessing here but out there it will be a curse."

There were several gasps from most of the people at the table, but Daryl already knew that much.

"I'm sure you'll all be fine. There are plenty of other farms. You people can have your pick of them. We would still be close. I'll give you a few days to prepare. Make sure everyone has had their injury's looked at."

"We have Milton for that. Thank you anyway." Andrea said lightly before she stood up and walked out of the room. Milton watched her go and then looked as though he finally got the point that maybe he should follow her.

Daryl looked at Carol and she gave him an encouraging smile. "We'll be alright." She said but he could see the fear in her eyes. He needed to figure out a way to make this work. Maybe he could talk to the old man alone. Then he dismissed that idea. He wasn't good at stuff like that. Rick was the man that needed to be the one to get him alone.

Sophia was looking down the table. Her and Carl nodded to one another and then he caught her eyes shift to Merle. Merle was looking right at her and he nodded himself. So whatever Sophia was up too Carl was in on it too. And so was his brother. He glared at Merle from across the table but Merle didn't pay him any mind because suddenly Maggie threw down her napkin and stormed out of the room. A few seconds later the front door slammed.

Merle glanced towards the living room but didn't make a move to follow the girl. It was good thing too since she looked to be mad enough to really do some damage to him if he wasn't careful. Merle finally caught his eye but looked away quickly.

Everyone dispersed after that. Carol and Sophia stayed to help the other women clear the table but Daryl found himself watching Carl carefully. Sophia was better at hiding things than the boy was. So was Merle. Not to mention the fact that Merle and Sophia didn't see Daryl as much of a threat. Carl on the other hand was always pretty nervous around him so he decided right then that he'd work on the boy first and if nothing came of it then he'd probably have to get into a fist fight with Merle. Those usually ended badly for Daryl but he had one hand up on his big brother this time. He chuckled quietly at his own joke. Surprisingly Merle glanced up right then and scowled at him as though he could read Daryl's mind.

~H~

After all the dishes were cleared and the kitchen was back in order, which didn't take long with so many people helping, Carol was finally able to make her way to their room. Well, what would be their room for the next two days anyway. That was all they had left and it made her sad. She loved it here. You could almost pretend like the world hadn't ended in a place as beautiful as this.

But now it was almost over. Soon they would be right back out there on the road with nothing but uncertainty to light there way. That existence seemed very very dark to her. She knew Daryl was right and that the farm wasn't any safer than anywhere else they could end up. But it felt safe.

She stopped outside of Merle and Sophia's room before going to her own. Calling it Merle and Sophia's room just sounded odd but that is exactly what it had become. And she was okay with that. She knew, somehow, that Merle had told her the truth. That he would let them all die but he would make sure Sophia was with him before he did it. It gave her a grim comfort. If someone as ruthless and cold as Merle Dixon was looking after her little girl then she was much safer than the rest of them were.

When she walked in her eyes went straight to the couch. Sophia was asleep already. Merle was on his side, facing the door, but he wasn't sleeping. His eyes were on her.

"You need anything before I go to bed?" She whispered.

He looked like he was thinking about it and then he nodded. "A bed warmer if you're offerin', beautiful." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and grinned.

She rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, Merle."

"Goodnight, Carol." he winked.

She giggled as she shut the door. She thought about Andrea earlier and how she had walked out and thought maybe she should go check on her. But when she walked by the room she shared with Daryl she noticed that there was no light shining out from under the door. She thought for sure he would wait on her to come to bed before he went to sleep. She went in and didn't see him in the bed. She flipped the switch but nothing happened. She sighed and made her way through the dark to the lamp next to the bed.

A rough hand covered her mouth and she felt a hard body slam into her from behind. A strong arm went around her waist and she was moved roughly towards the bed. She was afraid for about two seconds but she knew that hand, the body pressed up against hers, the arm around her waist. She could be blind and deaf and still know him when he touched her. He was being rougher than usual which for some reason filled her with a new sort of thrill. He had always at least tried to be gentle, although it didn't always work. He was still Daryl Dixon. He was a rough man.

He stopped moving her when her knees brushed the bed and then he spun her around, catching her mouth with his. He only broke the kiss long enough to yank her shirt up over her head and then he went right back to where he was. Even his kiss was rougher than usual, his tongue quick and insistent, dancing with hers almost violently. His hands trailed up her back and fumbled with her bra strap for a few impatient seconds before he gave up and ripped the hooks away. As soon as that small barrier fell away to the floor his mouth went straight to her breasts. His teeth were agonizing on her tender flesh but she held his head with both her hands to keep him there.

When he finally brought his head back up she was nearly panting, her breath heaving out of her loudly but she couldn't stop or she felt as though she would surely suffocate. His chest was as bare as hers and where his wet kisses had left her chest cold at his departure the heat from his skin pressing against hers was a stimulating sensation all it's own.

His hands went to the button of her pants and then he was yanking them down over her hips and shoving her down onto the bed before tearing them away and tossing them to the side. She was now sitting on the edge of the bed and he shoved her legs apart causing her to gasp. He hooked his arms behind her knees and pulled her forwards so she was barely on the bed anymore at all and then she felt his tongue high up on her inner thigh and her hands instantly grabbed the edge of the mattress in a white knuckled grip.

She couldn't help but wonder vaguely what this new urgency was all about. Not that she minded. At all.

There was no hesitation in his actions this time. It was like all he had to do was study her once and then he knew every place to touch. She kept her mouth clamped tightly shut once she felt his hot tongue start to explore her. And she was surprised when he changed tactics on her, but it was a pleasant surprise. Where he had just been anything but gentle, now everything he did was slow and exaggerated, teasing and tormenting. After a while she squirmed with impatience and she felt his hot breath as he moved his mouth away and laughed.

He stopped playing around then and as soon as he put all his concentration in that one small space she was right there, with barely any effort from him at all. Right before she felt herself let go she let her back drop to the bed. She grabbed a pillow at the very last second and covered her face with it. She was there but also far away as she tried to not let herself fall completely off the edge of the bed. Every muscle in her body twitching erratically as white spots danced behind her closed eyelids and the pillow did it's job of muffling the cries that escaped her mouth.

He moved the pillow away from her face and then nearly lifted her off the bed as he moved her back and before she could even get her bearings he was inside her, pushing past what little resistance her body gave him, since her body wasn't used to the size of him, and just like the night before he had to pause. Regain control of himself before he started moving.

She felt that heat pooling low in her stomach as he drove into her and then she felt his mouth by her ear, "If you wanna enjoy the ride a little longer you need to try to avoid doin' that just yet. I'm holdin' on by a thread here and if you let go there ain't gonna be no holdin' on for me."

His voice was low in her ear and smooth as silk and if he thought that was going to help anything he was dead wrong because the sound of that voice sent her flying over the edge. She didn't even know how he knew she was already so close but it didn't really matter.

"Goddamn it, Carol." he growled as the first wave hit her so hard she actually screamed but it only lasted a half a second before he crushed her mouth with his own. And to her surprise that first wave of pleasure wasn't the last because she felt the muscles inside her coil around him like a snake, trying to hold him in place. This was going to be a repeat of last night. He was already being a little rough with her but she suddenly wanted it rougher. Needed him too.

"Harder." She whimpered, not even meaning to say it out loud, but god, that's all she wanted.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck don't say that." But even as he said it he obliged even though she knew he wouldn't last much longer. But that didn't matter because she was already beyond caring. He hooked his arm behind her knee and pulled it up. This position gave him better leverage and she felt even more of him, deeper than before.

She heard herself getting louder again as he picked up the pace and she had to do something. Somewhere in her clouded thoughts she remembered that there were people here that could hear her so she bit down, not very gently, onto the side of his neck. She heard him hiss and then felt him tense and then growl viciously into her throat as he finally came with her. His skin was salty from the sweat. He tasted amazing.

His head stayed on her chest and he didn't move away for some time. He did unhook her leg from his arm and she wrapped it around him to try to keep him in place. She didn't want him to go anywhere just yet. She was still wracked with tremors and he must have been able to feel it every time one hit her because she would hear him chuckle low in his throat. It was a very self satisfied sound. But eventually he pulled away from her, landing heavily onto his back and then pulling her over so she was draped across his chest.

He traced patterns lightly on the sensitive skin of her back and she heard a rumbling laugh in his chest.

"Why are you laughing?" She whispered.

"I gotta be the only man in the world that has to try to talk his woman into not getting off too quick. And to think, I was all worried I wasn't gonna be good enough for you." He snorted and then laughed a little louder.

She grinned. She didn't get to hear that laugh very often and she loved it. "You're full of yourself." She whispered.

He shook his head. "No I ain't. You're just that damn easy to please."

She reached behind her and groped for the blanket. She was suddenly tired. Much too tired to get up and hunt for something to wear. So she threw the blanket over them and almost fell asleep instantly with the feel of his hands on her back and the sound of his heartbeat slowly returning to normal.


	45. Chapter 45

**The site wasn't sending out emails again so I waited to post this. Sorry it's late! Thank you for all you're reviews! This isn't a long one but it's something to read anyway! Hope you all enjoy and have yourselves a good Monday... although that is probably unlikely. Anyway, much love! I'll post another at 5!**

Chapter Forty Five

Daryl sat straight up in bed this time when he heard the click of the door being open because this time he wasn't asleep. He cast a quick glance to Carol to make sure she was still covered up. The only think showing was one pale shoulder. He looked over and there was Merle, smirking like the devil incarnate.

"Why don't you ever knock on the fuckin' door?" He whispered.

"Cause then I might miss out on getting myself a peak at some'a that." He nodded to where Carol was asleep with her back to them.

Well, _thought_ she was asleep. Suddenly her arm came up and she lifted her middle finger in Merle's general direction.

They both laughed and then Merle did the same thing he did the morning before. He tossed Daryl his pants and then gingerly picked up something else. Daryl pulled on his pants under the blanket and then slipped out of bed. When he looked at his brother he was holding up a lacy pink bra with his thumb and forefinger, he had one eyebrow raised.

"You get impatient little brother?" He smirked. "That's a damn shame. You done broke it."

Daryl just snorted and then started looking around for his shirt. He looked up just in time to see Merle bring the bra to his nose and give it a quick sniff. His eyes widened.

"Goddamn, the woman smells like heaven." He sniffed again as Daryl tried to snatch it out of his hand but Merle was quick. He shoved the bra into his pocket. "Quit lookin' at me like that, boy. Least it wasn't her panty's." He scanned the floor quickly like that was the best idea he had had in a while.

Daryl held out his hand. "Give it, Merle." He demanded.

Carol rolled over onto her back and then sat up, holding the blanket so it wouldn't slip.

"No, it's broke. All she's gonna do is throw it away anyways." Merle said as he dodged Daryl again.

"Well, you ain't gonna use it for what you're plannin' on usin' it for you sick bastard." Daryl growled but Merle was able to give him the slip again before he could grab him.

"What are you two doing?" Carol asked.

Both men turned to look at her. "Daryl here don't understand the concept of sharin'."

Daryl finally gave up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Get out, Merle." He growled.

Merle grinned triumphantly and headed for the door. He patted his pocket. "I was just on my way anyway. Gonna find myself a nice quiet place to do some thinkin'." He winked and then slipped out the door.

"One of these days I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch." He grumbled as he sat down on the edge of the bed and slipped his boots on.

He froze when he felt a warm body press into his back and arms wrap around his neck. He smirked.

"He's not _that_ bad. Not as bad as he could be. We have to give him that." She pressed her lips to his neck.

"He's bad enough." He said quietly as she took his earlobe into her mouth and sucked lightly. His eyes flashed to the door. There was no lock and her hands were snaking around his waist and inching dangerously close to the button on his pants. He grabbed her hands and laughed. "Ain't no lock on that door, ya know. Get dressed. I ain't never had dreams of becomin' a porn star. Probably couldn't do to well with an audience.

He felt her sigh into his back and then she pulled away. He didn't dare turn to watch her, knowing that lock or not, there was only so much a man could take before he just didn't care about things like people walking in. And he was damn near to that point as it was.

Just as Carol came around his side of the bed, wearing jeans and a tank top, the door opened. No one around here knocked. It was annoying but he wasn't going to argue with anyone. Especially her.

"Mornin' Maggie." He grumbled instead.

"Good, ya'll are up. You need to go talk to daddy, Carol." She said quickly.

"Mornin' to you too, Daryl." He muttered to himself.

She actually smiled and walked up to where he was sitting on the bed. She ruffled his hair. "Good mornin', Daryl."

He smacked at her hand but it was already gone before he could swipe it away. "God, you people get on my nerves."

Carol laughed at the look on his face but then her eyes grew serious when they met Maggie's. "Why do I need to talk to him?" She asked.

"So you can talk some sense into him. Ya'll can't leave. Not with those things out there. I know that he thinks they're just sick people but they ain't. Ya'll know that. You got kids. You gotta put up more of a fight."

"Maggie, he didn't listen to Rick or Daryl. He didn't even listen to Sophia. Why would you think I would be able to do any good. Merle said you've been fighting him for days."

She shook her head. "He just thinks I'm bein' stubborn. He don't understand how bad it is. Hell, I don't understand how bad it is but I know that I like ya'll enough to know I don't want any of you out there. You gotta way about you. Maybe he'd listen to you."

Daryl stood up and chewed his thumb nail as he looked from face to face. Finally he shrugged. "It ain't a bad idea."

"Daryl, it's an awful idea. I wont beg the man. You know as well as I do that we'll be fine out there. We have guns and we have a smart group. We're strong."

"You're the reason Milton's still alive, Carol. And that man was hell bent on killin' himself. You do got a way with people. They listen to you." Daryl said as he studied her face.

She eyed him. "You don't."

He smirked. "That's different."

"Oh, speakin' of people that don't listen. Did ya'll send Merle on a run?" Maggie asked suddenly.

Daryl shook his head and then felt a knot of dread form in his gut. What the hell was Merle up too now?

Maggie frowned. "Well, he took off right before I came in here to talk to you."

"What?" He growled.

"He left. He took your truck. I just figured he was goin' on a run." She shrugged. "He shoulda had me go with him. I know the town and I don't like the thought of him out there on his own."

He wasn't sure what to make of Merle taking off in the truck. He was better now. A hell of a lot better than when they found him but surely he wouldn't have just left for good. Not without telling him. Daryl didn't think he would have left without at least attempting to talk him into going with him. But maybe Merle hadn't thought there had been much of a point in asking. He had seen Merle last night, glaring at him when he was talking to Rick and T-dog. He was alone here, just like Daryl was when he found out Merle wasn't coming back from Atlanta.

He ran a hand over his face. Merle was an asshole but Daryl couldn't help but to feel a surge of guilt at how he had been treating his brother. After finding Merle's hand on that roof Daryl felt more empty than he had ever felt in his life. Merle wasn't always there for him when he was real young but when he was sixteen, and was nearly beaten half to death by their dad, Merle showed up, wreaked bloody vengeance on the old man and then took Daryl and split. He'd been there for him ever since.

And how did Daryl repay him? Made him feel like he didn't even have a brother at all. Without a word he walked out of the room and out the front door. He knew why he had acted the way he had. Carol and Sophia. But he shouldn't have been so hard on Merle. Shouldn't have made him feel like he didn't care. Because he did care. It was just that now Merle wasn't his main priority. Now he had a woman to protect, a kid to look after, people that depended on him. He had friends. And Merle probably figured that Daryl just didn't need him anymore. So instead of staying on with the group and be the outcast that Daryl had always felt they both were, he left on his own.

"Daryl?"

He spun around. Maggie was behind him. He hadn't even known she was following him. He let out a heavy breath. "What'cha want, Maggie?"

"You think he left out and ain't comin' back?" She asked quietly.

Daryl frowned at the sadness in her voice. "You really care whether he did or not?" he turned and walked away but she fell into step beside him.

"Merle ain't as bad as people think he is." She muttered.

Daryl snorted. "You're right. He's worse. The Merle you been seein' is a bit different from the Merle I know."

"From what I hear from your friends, he ain't the only Dixon that ain't so bad no more."

"You really defendin' him after the way he talked to you?" Daryl couldn't help but ask.

She smiled slightly. "He's interestin' is all. You don't come across many men like Merle in your lifetime."

"Thank God." Daryl laughed and shook his head. It wasn't a very good laugh. He felt depressed. Abandoned again. But it was better than last time Merle disappeared. At least now he had Carol. He sighed loudly.

"He ain't gone." Maggie said simply. "I ain't sure what he's up too. Probably somethin' no good but I don't think you gotta worry."

Daryl just nodded. When he saw the rest of the group packing up some of their things he frowned. He really did wish they could have talked that old man into letting them stay. But he couldn't blame Carol for not wanting to beg him. He wouldn't beg either. She was right. They would do fine out there.

"Hi, guys." Andrea said as she trotted up to them. "I need Carol. It's important."

Daryl studied her for a second. She looked excited and she was smiling like the Cheshire cat. It was strange too because the last time he saw her she was storming out of the dining room last night.

"Last I saw her she was in the house. What do you need her for?"

"I just needed to talk to her. Thanks." They watched her run towards the house and then they both shrugged.

"Wonder what that was all about?" Maggie asked as she glanced over her shoulder.

Daryl just shrugged. "No clue. She's crazy so it could be about anything."

They both joined the group and got to work helping. Daryl couldn't keep his mind off his brother though no matter what he did to try to distract himself. He thought about finding Carol. Maybe they'd get away with sneaking off to the barn or something. He knew she was more than willing.

"What'cha grinnin' bout over there baby Dixon?" Maggie asked with a grin.

Daryl just shook his head. He hadn't realized he'd been grinning at all and then Maggie was looking at him knowingly.

"Oh, that." She asked with a shake of her head.

He shook his head and continued packing up some of Dales gear. Was he really that obvious?

Daryl looked over and groaned when he saw Shane walking their way.

"That guy really gets under my skin." Maggie whispered.

"Tell me about it." He growled.

Shane stopped a few feet away and put his hands on his hips. "Looks like you two are havin' a good time. Never pegged you for a ladies man, Dixon."

Daryl stood up and dusted his hands off onto his pants. "Shane, I don't know if I've told you enough lately so I'll say it again."

"Say what?" Shane smirked.

"Fuck off." Daryl said and then shot a glance towards Maggie when she started laughing.

Shane's eyes slid over to Maggie as well. "You know you don't have to hang around with the likes of him?"

Maggie narrowed her eyes. "My time is a precious thing, Mister. And somethin' tells me that time spent with a Dixon is time well spent. Much more well spent than if I was to waste it on the likes of you."

Daryl watched as Shane's eyebrows shot up but that smirk never left his face. He just shook his head and walked away from them.

"Jerk." She muttered under her breath.

Daryl just continued on with what he was doing but he was having a hard time hiding the smile that kept trying to creep up on him. Maggie was okay in his book. Too bad Merle couldn't find somebody like that. Thinking of his brother again, however, put his mood back in depressed mode and he didn't have to hide a smile anymore. There was nothing to smile about for the moment.


	46. Chapter 46

**I just looked down at the clock and realized that this update is LATE! I swear it almost felt like I was late for work or something! Shew... that's ridiculous. I'm hard at work on chapter 56 and it is a tough one and there is my excuse! Sorry! Read and review and ENJOY! There is a surprise at the end for you! **

Chapter Forty Six

Merle had been driving for a while now. He wanted to make sure that he got far enough away for anyone to hear the shots. Sophia sat next to him and Carl was next to her, staring worriedly out the window.

"Why are we going so far out?" He asked without looking over.

Merle grinned. "Cause the further out we are the easier it'll be for me ta git outta dodge after I kill yer ass."

Carl turned his head slowly, eyes wide. "You wouldn't." He said as he shook his head.

Merle grunted as he felt an elbow hit his ribs. "Stop it, Merle." Sophia scolded.

"Watch it, lil miss. All ya are is bones. Them elbows hurt. And 'sides that, he knows 'ol Merle is only messin' with him. Surely the two of ya wouldn't be stupid enough to get in a truck with somebody that could maybe hurt ya, now are ya?"

"You aren't scary, Merle. You're an ass. There is a difference." Sophia gave him a dry smile and he returned it with a wink.

Carl just stared at them for a few minutes and then turned back to the window. "You never answered the question." He said quietly.

"Have to get far 'nuff away for ya'lls nibby ass parents not to hear. They start hearin' gunshots and we're all three busted. And I be damned if I'm gonna listen to my own baby brother lecture me on how I ain't tryin' hard enough to be an upstandin' example for the youth of the group. Asshole."

He pulled the truck onto an old dirt lane. Him and Sophia had gotten up at the crack of dawn and met Carl in the barn and showed them the basics. Now all they needed to do was learn to shoot. He had faith in the girl, but he wasn't so sure about Carl. He seemed to want to learn but it didn't seem like he had the drive that Sophia did. He was still just a kid and even though they were about the same age Sophia was more a grown up than even Merle himself.

There was a run down old farmhouse at the end of the drive and he figured that would be about perfect. Hell, knowing the dumb asses in this group they would probably end up living in it. The kids followed him around the side of the house and then towards a sagging barn.

"What are we going to be shooting at?" Sophia asked.

Merle gestured towards the barn. "Shoot at that till ya get the feel for your piece. Then we'll see about findin' us somethin' to shoot. If we can't find nothin' there's always Officer Friendly's boy. A runnin' target is the best kind."

"Merle, leave him be. Stop being so mean all the time." Sophia said as she raised the gun like Merle had showed her back in the barn.

"Wait." Carl said as he pushed her gun down. "What if the shots draw Walkers? They're attracted to sound, remember?"

Merle just laughed. "That's the damn point dummy. We get'em comin' for us and then you two best be ready. We just gotta hope it ain't no herd of'em. If so I 'spose we're screwed."

"I don't think this was a good idea." Carl said after watching Merle to make sure this wasn't another one of his jokes.

"We have to learn Carl and this is the only way. Unless you wanna go ask our parents. I'm sure yours would be thrilled."

"No shit, boy." Merle scowled. "I got up all early and snuck your asses off the farm. You know how much shit I'm gonna catch from my brother once we get back. It ain't gonna be for nothin', by God. You aim that mother fuckin' gun and you shoot. Now."

For a second it looked like the boy wanted to shoot Merle himself but finally he turned and aimed and shot at the side of the barn. Merle studied them as they both started getting used to the gun in their hands and the loudness of it. Both of them had good form, he had to give them that.

"Okay, enough." Merle said suddenly and both of them clicked on the safety and dropped their guns to their sides. "I'll be right back."

He took off towards the truck to retrieve a can of spray paint he had stashed in there earlier. He drew two targets on the side of the barn and then stepped away. He nodded to them as he walked back and they both raised their guns and started shooting. And to his utter amazement they were both good. Damn good. He hadn't made the targets very large and neither one of them missed. There wasn't one bullet hole outside of the outer circle.

"Enough." He said quietly and they dropped their weapons once more and looked at him expectantly. He shrugged. "That's it."

"That's it?" They both asked, sounding pretty surprised.

"It ain't rocket science." He scoffed. "It's shootin'. Seems to me like you both got a knack for it too." He patted Sophia on the shoulder and gave her wink. "You did good, lil miss. I'm proud of ya."

Sophia beamed up at him and for a second he felt something strange flutter around in his gut. He tore his eyes away from her smiling face and glanced towards Carl. There, that was better. Looking at Rick Grimes boy killed the strange sensation.

"Let's get the fuck outta here and get this shit over with. God, Daryl's gonna be kickin' up a damn dust storm over this. Mother fucker is always kickin' shit when he gets good and pissed. Ya'll ever notice that?"

Carl and Sophia just shared a smile and followed him.

"You guys think we can take a look at the inside of the house?" Carl asked.

Merle frowned down at him. Sophia looked up at him with a hopeful expression. "Why the fuck ya'll wanna go in there for?"

Carl shrugged and Sophia smiled. "It looks like it's haunted." She said as she raised her eyebrows.

Merle laughed. "Girl, you got monsters runnin' all over the country side and you wanna go try to find ghosts?"

She shrugged and glanced longingly towards the dreary looking house. "That's the thing. I know monsters are real. I've seen them. I've killed them. But ghosts. Now that's spooky."

Carl nodded in agreement. "Totally creepy."

Merle snorted and then looked down at Carl. "Fine. We can go ghost huntin'. But you gotta give me that gun of yours." he held out his hand.

Carl scowled but finally, after an encouraging nod from Sophia, he handed it over to Merle who stuffed it into the waistband of his pants.

They followed Merle inside. It wasn't very bright since the windows were so dirty but they could still see just fine.

"Can we go look around?" Sophia asked.

"No. No way. You keep your ass right here next to me." He snapped.

Her face fell a little but she just shrugged.

"Can I?" Carl asked with a hopeful look on his face.

Merle just shrugged. "Have at it, kid."

Before Carl could take off Sophia grabbed his arm. "No way. If I can't go then neither can you, Carl Grimes. Fair is fair."She shot Merle an angry look. "Why would you tell him yes right after you told me no?" She fumed.

He shrugged. "Cause I care if you get ate. I ain't got much for the boy. Figure if he gets himself munched on me and you can just tell the others that we hand't seen him all day."

"Jesus, Merle." Sophia shook her head and narrowed her eyes at him. "Would it kill you to be nice?"

"Maybe." He countered. "Are we gonna check this place out or what? I'm getting' hungry."

They both nodded and started looking through the house. Merle started going through the drawers and cabinets.

"What are you doing?" Carl asked.

"Might as well scavenge while we're here. Ain't that what ya'll are into?" Merle asked with a shrug. "Like a bunch of fuckin' rats in the wall." He grumbled to himself.

They didn't encounter any Walkers but Merle really hadn't expected them too. The doors had ll been shut firmly and all the windows were still intact. It looked like the place had been pretty empty for a while before the dead started walking. He drew the gun anyway when he started up the stairs. Just in case.

Sophia and Carl looked like they were getting pretty bored. Good. He had started this little adventure out that way. There was one more bedroom to check out so he went inside with the kids right on his heels. They had found a few blankets and little things in the other bedroom and he had them draped over his right forearm and held the gun in his hand.

I'll check the closet. "Sophia mumble. She was obviously disappointed that they hadn't ran into any ghosts. Merle almost chuckled at the thought of the kids really getting spooked by ghosts when he heard Sophia scream.

He moved so fast the he wasn't even aware of moving at all. He had Sophia shoved behind him and the gun aimed into the closet. But what was there was not what he had expected to find. The eyes that were staring up at him were not the dead cold eyes of a walker. They were the large dark brown eyes of one scared kid. He was shaking pretty badly so Merle lowered his gun.

"Who the fuck are you, kid?" Merle asked in a low voice.

Sophia peaked her head around Merle's side and peered in at the boy. He looked to be about their age, maybe a little older. "It's alright." Sophia said softly.

Merle stiffened. He didn't know this kid and he didn't want Sophia talking to him. Now days you had to look at everything and everybody like they were a threat. The kid wasn't a threat to him but he could be a threat to her and that wasn't something he was gonna tolerate. But there she was, putting her hand on his arm and looking up at him like she could read his mind.

"It's okay, Merle. He's just a kid." She said as she knelt down and looked in at the boy. "My name's Sophia. This is Merle and Carl."

"D-Duane." He stammered. "My name's Duane."

~H~

"I can't find her anywhere. Are you sure none of you have seen her this morning?" Carol asked, panic coating her words.

Everyone looked at one another and shook their heads. "Carl told me on his way out this morning that they were going to hang out in the barn." Rick said as Lori nodded in confirmation.

Carol felt Daryl's hand tighten in her own. "And you two are fine with them two runnin' off together without anybody around to keep an eye on'em? You shoulda came and told us that earlier."

Rick and Lori just gave him a confused look and a few of the group actually looked like they were trying to hide a bit of laughter. Carol would have probably laughed at Daryl's outrage too if her daughter wasn't currently missing. Again. Lori was used to Carl running off on his own all the time but Sophia never had before. Not until now.

T-dog, who was one of the ones that did not look amused at the situation nodded at Daryl and started walking towards the barn. "I'll help you check out the barn. I'm sure she's alright, man."

Daryl nodded and they started towards the barn.

"Sorry about that." She said to Rick who was watching them go.

Everyone had all of their stuff together except for what they would need to keep on hand for their last night. Which was basically tents and bedding since Maggie had assured everyone that they could eat dinner in the house and then breakfast before they headed out in the morning.

Daryl and T-dog both stopped and turned around, looking towards the drive. When the rest of them did the same Carol saw Daryl's truck barreling down the driveway, dust clouding behind it. When he finally had it parked and jumped out he gave a no handed wave.

Carol turned and saw that Daryl was storming towards the man with a murderous scowl on his face. But then Daryl stopped in his tracks, causing T-dog to slam into him from behind. She glanced back towards Merle and standing at his side was Sophia. The son of a bitch had left the farm. With her daughter. And hadn't told her? She felt her legs carrying her over to him before she even told them too.

Daryl was the last thing Merle Dixon had to worry about at the moment. Carol's hands clenched into fists at her sides. No, He didn't need to worry about Daryl at all because she was going to kick his ass before Daryl had a chance to touch him.


	47. Chapter 47

**Good mornin'! This chapter is a bit on the short side but I hope you like it anyway. Thank you all for the reviews!**

Chapter Forty Seven

Daryl was going to kill him. It wasn't bad enough that he had just taken off without telling anyone, making Daryl think that he was gone for good. Actually making him feel guilty that he hadn't treated him very good since he had been back. But he had taken the kids too. Had taken them off the farm. He didn't know why Merle would do something so damn stupid but he was going to make sure it was the last stupid thing that he ever did.

The only thing that stopped him was when Carol went after him herself. Her fists were clenched and her step was determined. He might as well let her get her own revenge before he put an arrow through his head.

He was making his way over to them when Sophia suddenly stepped in front of Merle and held her hands up, trying to keep Carol away from him.

"Mom, it wasn't his fault." She said as she pressed herself against Merle so Carol couldn't get to him.

"Sophia, move." Carol said from between clenched teeth. "He had no right to take you off this farm."

Carl came around from the passenger side next and then it was Lori who was storming towards Merle. Rick shot Daryl a look that told him that he might need to save his brother but Daryl just shrugged. Rick was next, following his angry wife. Daryl followed suit.

"Mom, it wasn't like that." Sophia pleaded.

Merle actually looked unsure of what to do so he just stood there pressed up against the truck with Sophia shielding him from the others as best she could. When she spotted Daryl she looked relieved until she saw the look on his face. Everyone started shouting at once and Carl took off, not feeling as loyal to Merle as Sophia apparently.

Daryl wasn't saying anything. He was watching the girl closely. Everyone else was yelling or talking or throwing loud accusations at the man. Daryl was the only one that noticed the change in her face. She went from desperate to keep them away from Merle to down right pissed off. She glared at Rick, Lori, Carol and even himself from under her brow. Her lips thinned out in a hard line and color rushed up into her pale cheeks.

"Would all of you just shut the fuck up! Now!" She screamed.

The yard instantly became extremely quiet as everyone stared at the girl in stunned silence.

"Back. Up." She growled and everyone did. Still too stunned to act.

Merle wrapped his forearm loosely around her neck and gripped her shoulder. "Goddamn, girl. Calm the hell down. It's alright. Jesus." Even Merle was about half shocked and that was saying something.

"No it's not." She snapped. "Carl and me left this morning. Alone. On foot. Merle woke up, saw us gone, figured out where we were and headed out to find us before anyone had to get all worried. So get off his back and stop treating him like a criminal." Her voice was as cold as ice. "Now, which one of you are going to apologize first?"

"Why in the world would you two do that? After what happened?" Carol asked, sounding as shocked as she looked.

Daryl wasn't watching Sophia anymore. He was looking at Merle. The girl was good, he had to admit, but he could tell by his brothers expression that this was all news to him. He had left with the kids. He wasn't sure why Sophia was lying. And Merle's arm was still around her protectively. Daryl wasn't sure if he liked that or not.

"Sophia, that can wait. We need to introduce our new friend here to the rest of'em." Merle said quietly.

"What?" Rick asked. "You brought someone else to the farm?" He sounded like he was about to choke.

Merle let go of Sophia and gave her a push towards Carol and then opened the door to the truck.

Sitting there in the passenger seat was a kid who looked to be about the same age as Sophia he looked scared to death and sweat was glistening off his dark skin. The first person to react was Rick. He rushed to the truck and yanked the door open wider. The kid's eyes lit up in recognition and he scooted across the seat and hugged him.

"Rick? Is that really you?" The kid asked.

"Duane?" Ricks eyes were wide and he set the kid down on the ground and gripped his shoulders. "Where's Morgan?" Rick asked as he studied the boys face carefully.

That name rang a bell. Daryl had heard Rick mention it before and then he got it. Rick had woken up in the hospital after the outbreak. A man named Morgan found him and kept him alive. This was the man's son that Rick had mentioned. But where the hell was the kids dad? He didn't have to wonder for long.

The boy's face crumpled then. "I think they got him." He cried.

Rick gripped his shoulders. "Walkers? Duane, did Walkers get your dad?"

Duane shook his head, a sob escaping his throat. "The men. They tried to take our stuff and daddy tried to stop them and then he told me to run so I ran. When I finally went back he was gone. I looked for him for a while but I never found him."

Daryl glanced over when T-dog nudged his arm. "That camp." He whispered. "You know how close them kids came to that camp? It's gotta be the same men, man. It has to be."

Daryl nodded. He didn't believe in coincidences. He felt sick to his core knowing how close Sophia had been to that group. He refused to let himself think about the things they would have done to her. He walked right up to her and grabbed her hand. "Come on." he growled.

Carol was about to follow him but he held up a hand. "Just wait. I got this." He said and he was surprised to see her nodding. But she trusted him.

Sophia gripped his hand tightly. "Daryl, that camp." She whispered.

"I know." He said quietly. He led her through the house, skipping him and Carol's room and opting for her room instead. He shut the door a little too loudly.

"Daryl, I..." She began but he held a finger to her lips and then crouched down so he could look her in the eye.

"No more." He said in a low voice. "No more lyin' and no more sneakin' around behind my back."

She took a deep breath and then nodded. He dropped his hand and stared her in the eye. "What are the three of you up too? And don't lie to me."

Her eyes were huge as she stared at him. "I needed to learn to use a gun." She whispered.

That actually stung a little. If she wanted something like that then she should have came to him. But she hadn't. She had ran straight to Merle's dumb ass. "I was gonna teach you how to shoot Sophia. Why would you run off and ask Merle and then lie right to my face." he didn't sound angry, he knew that if he let any anger show then she would get scared and he didn't want her scared of him.

Something in his tone must have scared her anyway because a tear slid down her cheek. He wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. "I knew you would but I had to ask Merle."

"Why?"

She sighed and then wiped another tear away angrily. "Because Carl stole both of us a gun from his dad and I knew you would make us give them back. I knew Merle wouldn't have cared if they were stolen. I need a gun. It was the only way for me to have one."

He held out his hand. "Give me the gun." He said in a gruff voice.

She reached behind her and removed it from her waistband, handing it to him with a pained expression. "I really need a..."

He reached up and covered her mouth again, silencing her. He smiled slightly as he turned it over in his hand. He reached for his own gun that was nestled in the small of his back. He held it in his other hand. They were the same type of gun, his was just older, seen more wear, and held a lot of sentimental value.

"Merle gave me this when I was sixteen." He looked up. "I've kept it close ever since. Merle, came home one night after bein' gone for a while and my 'ol man was on somethin'. I ain't too sure what. He got real mean. He was one mean son of a bitch anyway but that night was real bad. When Merle came in I think I was about half dead. Merle pulled him off me and just went crazy on him. Almost beat him to death and then he reached behind and he pulled out this gun. Merle shot him in the head. And I watched him do it."

Sophia listened to him talk and new tears formed in her eyes. She let them fall.

"Here." He held out the gun and she took it from him with trembling hands as he tucked hers back in his waistband. "That one's yours so now. I got the stolen one. Well, actually I think Merle had stolen that one but it wasn't from a cop."

She tried to smile but it didn't work. "I'm sorry I lied to you."

He nodded. "Me too."

"You aren't going to tell my mom?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Not everything. I'll tell her I gave you a gun." He shrugged. "The way I see it, you didn't do anything. That damn boy did."

"Daryl, do you think the men that boy was talking about are the same men from that camp we saw?"

He nodded. "I think it's them. And that means they're close. I'd like to get the hell outta here quicker than in the mornin'."

"I told Carl that they were probably bad guys." She shook her head.

Daryl grinned. "Yeah, and I told T-dog that you was the smart one that got your ass away from that camp." His face grew serious once more. "You keep that on you. You sure Merle showed you how to use it?"

She nodded. "He even said I was good."

Daryl went to stand but she grabbed the tops of his shoulders and kept him in a crouch. She looked him in the eye and leaned her face closer to his. "I'm really sorry for lying to you. It wont happen again, okay. You can trust me."

He nodded.

"And thanks. For the gun. You don't have to do all the things that you do for me. I know that. Not many men would. Ed never did."

"I don't do much, kid." He said.

"You're the closest thing to a dad I've ever had. That's kind of a lot." Her face looked surprised for a second and then fearful. "oh no!" She squeaked. "I said fuck in front of my mom!"

Daryl shook his head and laughed. "You said fuck in front of everybody."

"Oh, my god."

"Want me to talk to her before she gets a hold of ya?" He asked.

She nodded and then they both looked up when the door burst open and Merle stormed in, slamming it behind him.

"What the fuck did you go and do that for?" He raged. "You lyin' little shit! You know what them sentimental retards were out there doin' because of you? I got officer friendly's goddamn wife tryina' hug all over me and then the rest of'em tryina act like I'm some reformed fuck! You go out there and you tell them the goddamn truth. I kidnapped ya both, threatened to kill the boy, and then I taught ya'll how to shoot stolen guns. I'm Merle mother fuckin' Dixon and by God I wont stand for one more person huggin' on me. I don't do hugs." He turned around and kicked at the door.

Sophia's eyes were wide once again but then she had to cover her mouth to hide a fit of laughter. She didn't hide it well.

"Ya think it's funny?" Merle fumed. "How bout I tell Mr. Mom over there that you was makin' out with Rick junior in the truck."

Daryl gaped, all humor gone from him in a rush. "Sophia!" He roared.

She looked back at him, red faced. "He's a damn liar! Merle you tell him the truth, right now."

"Nope. That's what ya snuck off to do." He crossed his arms. "I'll tell the whole group."

Sophia glanced at Daryl again and he could tell by the look on her face that she was the one telling the truth.

"Merle, leave her alone." Daryl said as he stood up from the floor. "Them people likin' you ain't a bad thing."

Merle glared at him. "Maybe not for you but I hate every fuckin' one of'em. Well, cept for maybe Carol. The rest of'em can go straight to hell."

"You know, Maggie was talkin' about ya a lot earlier." Daryl said calmly. "I bet she'd be impressed by you goin' out on your own to save a couple kids."

Merle paused. And glanced between the two of them. "Ya'll think so?"

Sophia and Daryl both gave him a nod. He glared at them both for a second and then seemed to calm himself down a bit. Daryl knew that the thought of getting laid always calmed Merle down.

"Alright then. But ya'll gotta tell'em to stay the hell away from me." He said, visibly more calm now.

"Will do Merle." Sophia said happily.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter Forty Eight

Sophia and Carl sat across from the new boy and watched him eat. She knew it was rude but she'd never seen anyone put food away like that before.

"How long have you been out there alone?" Sophia asked when his plate was finally clean. He downed a glass of water before he answered her.

"I'm not even sure anymore. I was in that house for four days. I can't remember how long it took me to find it. When I heard those guns outside I thought those men found me and were shooting up the place."

"We were lost in the woods too but only for a few nights." Carl muttered.

"We found Merle out there." Sophia explained.

"He the big mean guy?" Duane asked.

"He isn't mean." Sophia snapped and then ducked her head and blushed. "Okay, he is. But he isn't mean to me."

Carol breezed into the room then, followed by Daryl, Rick and T-dog. Sophia slid down in her seat a little as she tried to make herself as small as possible. She hadn't had a talk with her mom yet and she wasn't looking forward to it. It had just made her so mad because Merle really was trying hard and everyone had been yelling and she could feel how tense he had been. He had wanted to knock the crap out of all of them and she just wanted everyone to leave him alone. She still couldn't believe she had talked that way. To a group of grown ups.

The truth was, it wasn't about Merle being good just so Daryl wouldn't have to worry about things anymore. It was about her. Merle said some awful stuff sometimes but she had to admit that she really liked having him around. He was her friend and she cared about him. She had never had an uncle before but she thought that maybe Merle was like an uncle to her now.

She watched warily as her mom took Duane's plate and put her hand on his shoulder. "Did you get enough to eat? There's plenty more if you're still hungry." She said quietly.

He shook his head. "No thank you, ma'am." he said quietly.

Carol looked up from the top of the boys head to Sophia. Sophia shrank down in her seat further and then finally slid out. She was going to go find Merle. Right now he was much safer than her mom. Right before she made it out she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and she looked up into Daryl's narrowed eyes.

"You're gonna have to deal with eventually, kid. Might as well deal with it right now and get it over with." He said so low that no one else could hear.

She nodded and then glanced back towards the kitchen. Her mom was watching her and then she was walking towards them. Sophia wasn't scared of her mom. She knew she wasn't going to hurt her but the thought of disappointing her was awful and Sophia didn't want her to confirm how disappointed she actually was. She caught Daryl's hand and glanced up.

"It's not gonna be that bad." He whispered right before Carol made it to them.

"We need to talk." Carol said calmly.

Sophia sighed and dropped Daryl's hand and followed her mom out to the porch. It was deserted for the time being and so they settled down on the steps.

"Why did you leave with Merle today? And don't tell me that you and Carl went alone and then were rescued by Merle Dixon. I already know you are smarter than that. You never would have left unless someone was with you." Her voice wasn't angry. Mostly curious.

Sophia sighed. Now Carl was really going to be busted. She had been wrong about Daryl telling Rick on them but there was no way her mom would let this slide. But she had to tell her. She wished she had made up a more believable lie earlier. "Merle was going to teach Carl and I how to use a gun. So we went out and was practicing."

"But that's something that Daryl was going to do with you anyway. Why did you sneak off with Merle?"

She remembered the hurt look on Daryl's face when he had asked her the same thing. It had caused her to hurt right along with him just to know that it was her that had caused it. "The guns we were using were stolen." She said in a quiet voice. "I didn't think Daryl would let me keep it and I really need a gun. Just in case something happens."

"Stolen? Where were they stolen from?" Carol asked.

Sophia turned her head away from her mothers wide blue eyes. "Carl stole them from Rick."

"Sophia! You stole?" Carol was shocked and couldn't hide it from her voice.

"No. I received stolen property. It isn't as bad." She said dully.

"Don't even try that with me. Did you used that line on Merle?" She asked.

Sophia nodded. "Mom, if you tell Rick then Carl is going to be in big trouble and it'll be my fault for telling you guys."

"Carl stole the guns. He needs to be in trouble. He could have talked to his dad and I'm sure Rick would have understood. Instead you both went behind our backs. You ran off with Merle, with stolen guns. Jesus, sweetheart. Where is all this coming from?"

Sophia just shrugged. She didn't have an answer for her. Even she didn't know herself where it was all coming from.

They were both quiet for a while and then Carol moved closer and put her arm around her shoulders. "Now, about what happened earlier."

Sophia groaned. "I didn't mean to say that. It just slipped. But everyone was attacking him without knowing the full story. Even you, and no one would listen to me."

"I guess this is what I get for keeping you around the Dixon brothers with their watchful eyes and their filthy mouths." She gave her a small smile.

"I'm sorry mom. For what I said and for the gun and for sneaking off. If it makes you feel any better I don't have that gun anymore." She said, brightening a bit.

"Not _that_ gun, huh?" Carol eyed her.

Sophia shook her head. "Daryl gave me his. It's the one Merle gave to him when he was sixteen." She left out the part about it being used to kill Daryl's dad. She didn't know if her mom would understand that part the way she did. She knew how much the gun had meant to Daryl and now it meant just as much to her because he had given it to her.

"I have to be able to protect myself, mom. I can't always depend on Daryl and Merle. They can't be with me all the time. And neither can you."

Carol nodded. "Okay. I understand. Keep the gun. But I need to talk to Daryl about whether or not we are going to tell Rick about this."

That gave Sophia hope because Daryl already said he wasn't going to tell him anything.

Carol pulled her in for a hug and she hugged her back tightly. Daryl was right. This wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

~H~

Merle made his way to the tack room in the barn. He had been thinking about what he would eventually use to cover the stump with once it healed up. Hershel and Milton had told him that he would have to have something because the end of it was always going to be sensitive because of the way he had sawed it off. He grimaced at the memory of it as he looked around. He was thinking about making it as interesting as possible. Maybe add a big blade to the end of it or something. He needed something that screamed Merle Dixon. Something that didn't cause people to look at him and shake their heads in pity. He didn't like the way the old man looked at him. Like he felt sorry for him. No, he needed something that would cause people to want to run away.

"What are you doin'?"

He grinned and turned his head towards the door. "Well, if it ain't little Maggie Greene. Ain't nobody ever taught you it ain't safe to be alone with the big bad Dixon, little girl?"

"What is it with you Dixon's callin' me little girl? I ain't no little girl, ya know." She smirked.

His eyes traveled down the length of her and then he smirked back. "I spose not."

"So, what are you out here lookin' for, Merle?" She glanced around and lifted her chin a few inches. "Maybe I can help."

"And what if I told you I was lookin' for a warm tight space to slip into for about an hour or two, darlin'. You gonna help me out with that?"

He watched her face but her expression never changed. She kept that small smile on her face and then she surprised him by nodding her head. He kept his expression the same but he couldn't do a thing about the blood that was suddenly rushing south.

"I think I can help you out with that, Merle." She said as she took a step closer.

He leaned against the work bench he had been standing in front of and watched her approach him slowly, the sway of her hips was a little exaggerated.

She stopped about a half inch away, close enough for him to feel her body heat. She looked him in the eye and then leaned in like she might actually kiss him. Her head moved at the last second and he felt her lips by his ear.

"You want me to help you, Merle?" She whispered.

"Oh, yeah." He whispered back. Holy shit! She was going to go for it.

"Mmmmkay." She crooned in his ear causing him to tense up a little. "The sheep are kept at the back of the barn big boy. And I'll even keep it our little secret."

Son of a bitch. He couldn't help the laugh that erupted from him but as she went to pull away, chuckling herself at her own joke he grabbed her by the hip with one large hand and yanked her back in place, their bodies pressed together firmly. "You know, that ain't very smart, teasin' like that." He whispered. He grazed his lips down her ear.

She turned her head slightly. "You're a lotta things, Merle. You're mean and you're dangerous. But you don't scare me a bit. Matter of fact I'm startin' to like it."

It could very well have been his imagination, or maybe it was just wishful thinking, but he could have sworn she pressed herself into him a little harder before she backed away with a knowing grin and then turned to leave the room.

Merle watched her go. Staring at her ass the whole time but he didn't say anything. He shook his head and looked around the room. He couldn't even remember what the hell he was doing in here. But he was glad he had came. The farmers daughter had herself a wild streak longer than his own mean streak.

~H~

Daryl stood between Rick and T-dog and stared at the map he had gotten from Hershel the other day. It was spread out over the hood of Ricks SUV.

"So from what Merle says that house was here." Rick pointed to a spot on the map. "But we don't have any way of knowing how long Duane was out there or how far he traveled. So we don't even know where to begin." He ran a hand through his hair and shot a glance towards Daryl. "And you say that group was camped right about here?" He pointed once again at a spot on the map.

Daryl peered down and nodded. "Yeah. But that was days ago. We don't know if they killed the guy or took him or if he got away. This is too big of a job Rick. There were a lot of people in this group and if this Morgan guy got away then where do we start?"

Rick blew out a frustrated breath and raked his hand through his hair again. "I can't just leave without trying to find him. He saved my life."

"Yeah, and if we went out there huntin' for him he could have saved your life for nothin' cause there were too many of them men. We'll all end up dead. And then when they find this place, what's gonna happen to the women?"

"We have assault rifles, a lot of ammo. It wouldn't take many of us to cut down their whole group." Rick said excitedly.

T-dog and Daryl shared a look. T-dog shook his head and looked back towards Rick. "And you think we should just hunt them down and open fire on them? When we don't even know for sure they are the ones that did this to this Morgan guy? And besides that, what if it was some guys from that group. But they have innocent men there too? What if they have their own women and kids? You have to think this out a little better Rick."

Rick just kept staring down at the map. "I have to try to find him." he said stubbornly.

"Count me out, Rick." Daryl said suddenly as he adjusted his bow. He shook his head.

"What?" Rick actually looked pretty surprised that Daryl would refuse to go with him. "You'd just let a man die out there?"

Daryl shook his head. "I didn't say that. But I got more important things right here to protect. So do you. That group finds this place and you got every one of us out in them woods..." He didn't finish his thought.

"We can do this. Half of us can go look for Morgan and the rest can stay back." He suggested.

"I ain't gonna be part of the half that goes." Daryl said, his voice getting low. "And you might wanna reconsider. You'll be takin' half our men that could be used here. And ain't nobody even talked to the old man about givin' us a few more days. As far as we know we have to be out in the mornin'. What you plannin' on doin'? Goin' out tonight. Search the woods in the dark?"

"I'll talk to Hershel." Rick said. He folded up the map and headed back towards the house. Daryl and T-dog watched him go.

"What do you think about this, man?" T-dog asked. He sounded worried.

"I don't like it. I understand he wants to find the guy but chances are they ain't nothin' left to find." Daryl mumbled.

They both headed back to the small camp where the others were gathered, waiting on news of what to expect next.


	49. Chapter 49

**This is actually a chapter I finished last week. I keep myself at least 9 chapters ahead so I can update a lot. I was going to take this chapter in a different direction but I decided to take it somewhere else for my lovely friend HGRHfan35, who was so annoyed over Shane that she actually stuck her tongue out at me before she went on her Siberian walk. Which was quite cold according to her. So here is some warmth ;) And some humor for you my cold friend! **

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing and being quite awesome all the time! I seriously don't think I would bother writing if it wasn't for all of your great feedback! Oh, and I love you Sheena! Hope you all have a great day!**

Chapter Forty Nine

"You talk to her?" Daryl asked Carol as he approached her from behind. She was sitting on a small dock at one of the ponds that were scattered around the property. Her small feet were in the water, kicking up small waves around her ankles. Her jeans were wet all the way up to her calves.

She looked over her shoulder, squinting a little as the sun hit her face, and smiled. "I did." She turned her face back to look at the water once more as he sat down beside her. She didn't elaborate.

He'd already kicked his own boots off so he plunged his feet in too. He hissed at how cold it was, causing her to laugh at him. "And?" He asked as his own eyes scanned the pond.

"And that kid is changing on me. Stealing guns. Running off with Merle Dixon. Yelling the f-word to a bunch of adults." She looked over at him and forced a scowl. "You'd think you gave birth to the girl."

He barked out a laugh and she couldn't help but join in.

He sighed and shook his head, that rare grin still brightening his face and making him look like a boy. "She's just comin' into her own. She's the same girl, she just ain't got nothin' to be scared of anymore. Ain't nothin' wrong with that."

She smiled. "I was thinking the same thing. It's good to see her like this but it's still strange. She used to hide behind me all the time. She was so quiet. Now she seems so grown up. It's scary."

He folded his hands behind his head and laid himself back onto the dock, staring up the sky. "She's different. That's a damn fact. She's always puttin' Merle in his place." he chuckled.

Carol laid down beside him, their arms barely brushing. Daryl glanced over at her but her eyes were closed. She kept them closed when he rolled over onto his side and didn't even open them when he traced her lips with his finger. She only smiled. He let the finger slide down her chin, down her throat and then dip into the hollow between her collar bones, down the center of her chest. His eyes never left her face and he bit his bottom lip and moved the finger even lower. She still didn't open her eyes but as he watched her breath quickened. He spared a quick glance around.

The dock wasn't very visible because of the weeds. The house was pretty far away and he would hear anyone coming before they could see anything. He looked back at her face and her eyes hadn't opened yet. He undid the button of her jeans and slipped his hand inside. Her nostrils flared as she took in a deep breath. He slid the hand in further when she didn't protest. Her jeans were tight but he was able to adjust his hand to where it wasn't a problem. He didn't want to take off her clothes. He wouldn't have minded too but they were outside, in broad daylight and there were a lot of people that could walk up on them at any given moment. He wouldn't hear them in time for her to get herself dressed again.

Both times they had actually had sex he had trouble controlling himself, always more rough than he really wanted to be. Always driving harder and faster than he had planned, and her not so subtle prompts didn't help him any either. So he made sure he kept his fingers light, almost not even touching her at all, and he moved them as slow as he could.

He watched her face for a long time. Sometimes her eyebrows would pull together in frustration at his pace but he didn't change it. Her eyes stayed shut and she stayed very still other than the frantic rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in and out. He dipped his head down and kissed the spot right under her ear that he knew always got her squirming. But she didn't squirm a whole lot. Just moved her head a little so that he had more access to the pale skin there. She was playing along with him and he had to keep reminding himself of what he was doing, not to go fast, not to increase the pressure, just keep it light and slow.

She finally let out a small gasp when he caught her earlobe between his teeth.

"Oh wow. Wow wow wow..." She whispered and he let go of her earlobe and pulled back to look at her. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut now but other than that her face remained calm. Her body remained, for the most part, still. She didn't buck against his hand and she didn't demand for him to do anything else. She simply let him work her however he wanted. She bit her bottom lip and then tipped her head back. He felt the muscles in her stomach tremble and contract under his arm and he knew exactly what she would have felt like if he was inside her. He growled low in his throat and then moved his hand down just a little, he couldn't help it, he had to _feel_ her come somehow, so he kept up with those slow light strokes with his thumb and then slid his middle finger inside.

And it felt just like he knew it would. She shuddered, her eyes snapping open and then she raised up onto her elbows. Her eyes locked on his and she grabbed him by the back of the head and pulled his face to hers. She moaned into his mouth and then she laid her head back down, he didn't take his mouth away from hers and he was surprised that it was still happening. She was still trembling, muscles tightening around his finger. He didn't even know how long it lasted but finally she let go of him and moved her face away from his. She stared up at the sky with a dazed expression on her face as he slipped his hand out of her pants and buttoned her back up.

"You shouldn't have done that." She said finally but she was smiling widely.

He flopped back over onto his back. "I know. You put up such a fight that I should be ashamed of myself right now."

She rolled over and then pulled herself on top of him. She grinned when he wrapped an arm around her back and then sat up. He knew she could feel how hard he was and there wasn't anything to be done about right now. She just locked her legs around his waist and kept on grinning at him.

"Do we got time?" She asked as she moved her hips so she was grinding against him.

He groaned and then locked his other arm around her waist and pulled her against him even harder. He was killing himself but he didn't care. She felt too good to care. "They'll send somebody out soon to find me."

"Go ahead. I can keep waitin'." Merle said from behind them.

Carol's head shot up and Daryl looked over his shoulder. Merle was sitting there with his knees pulled up and his forearms draped across them. He waved with his good hand.

"Goddamn it, Merle!" Daryl yelled.

"Boy, is that all you can ever say to me?" Merle asked with a smile.

"What the fuck are you doin'?" Daryl growled.

Merle just shrugged. "Takin' notes." he winked.

"How long you been there?" Daryl sounded like he wanted to toss Merle into the pond.

"Long enough, baby brother. I'm proud of ya. One of the best compliments a man can get when it comes to a woman is one little word. Wow. You get a woman to say wow and you're doing somethin' to her that ain't been done before."

"Oh my God." Carol whispered. "I just... Merle Dixon..." Her horrified eyes met Daryl's. "You're brother just watched you get me off."

"Are ya'll gonna fuck or what? I'm sick of sitting here. My ass hurts. I can go keep watch for ya."

The saddest part was that Daryl knew he was serious. He felt bad for Carol. She wouldn't ever get used to Merle. And Merle had no intention of making things easy on her. "Well?" He asked with a wink.

"Well what?" She whispered.

"He just offered us an out. He'll keep watch if ya wanna do somethin' bout that empty feelin' inside." He knew he shouldn't tease her. It was already bad enough but he couldn't help it. Not only that but if there was any chance in hell that she'd go for it then he would definitely make good use of the old dock. And he'd kept watch for Merle enough times when he was young that the man owed him.

She glanced at Merle again and then looked down at him, looked like she was actually considering it, and then finally shook her head. "Better not. He'd probably be too busy watching us himself to pay any attention to anything else. Sicko." She unwound her legs from around him and then stood up.

"Hey!" Merle called. "I heard that! Ain't like I was watchin' him play with himself. Then I'd be a sicko. A man can watch a pretty woman come all he wants and shouldn't be called sicko for it."

"Merle, shut up." Daryl grumbled as he stood up himself. The sound of Merle's voice was enough to get rid of the bulge in his pants pretty quick. That was a plus. At least he wasn't going to have to sit there and hope it went away on it's own. Merle wasn't worthless after all.

Carol's face was flaming as she stormed past the grinning Merle.

Merle waited up for him and fell into step as he passed. "She's a shy one ain't she? Those always end up bein' the best in the sack."

"Shut the fuck up, Merle." He growled.

Merle stopped him with his hand on his chest and then frowned down at Daryl's arm. "What'd you do to yourself, little brother?" He asked. He actually sounded concerned which had Carol back tracking with a worried look of her own.

"Huh?" Daryl frowned. He hadn't done anything to his arm that he knew of. He held it out straight and turned it this way and that but didn't see anything. "The fuck you talkin' about dumb ass? Ain't nothin' there."

Merle grabbed Daryl by the wrist, his frown deepening. "Make a fist." he ordered and Daryl did.

Merle kept looking and the frown he wore only deepened. He moved Daryl's arm up and down again and then held it at eye level. "Okay, straighten yer hand back out."

Daryl was studying his own arm now, actually getting a little concerned. Merle lowered his hand a little and when Daryl looked up at him his fingers were right under Merle's nose and the man was grinning.

"Merle, you sick son of a bitch!"Daryl yelled and then shoved him backwards. Merle stumbled a little but righted himself quickly and laughed.

"Little brother, you lucky mother fucker! That has to be the sweetest pu..."

"Merle!" Carol shrieked as she finally understood what the hell was going on.

He looked at her and then threw his arm over Daryl's shoulder. "What?" He asked as they started walking again. Daryl was trying to slip out from under Merle's arm but Merle just tightened his grip. "I tell her she's pretty when she comes. I tell her she's got the sweetest smellin' pu..."

"Merle, shut the fuck up!" She yelled.

Merle just shook his head. "When did it get so hard for a woman to take a compliment?" He asked happily. He finally dropped his arm from Daryl's shoulder but he kept an eye on him just in case he tried shoving him again. Which Daryl would have done if he hadn't been watching.

He felt bad for Carol. He knew how embarrassed she got about things like that. Merle finally got the hint and was trailing behind them a bit. No doubt probably just so he could look at Carol's ass without getting caught. He looked back over his shoulder and sure enough there the man was, smirk on his face and eyes following the sway of her hips. Stupid jackass. He bumped her shoulder with his.

"Sorry bout Merle." He grumbled.

When she turned her head to look at him he was surprised to see a small smile on her flushed face.

His eyes widened and then he smiled back. "What?" He asked.

She gave a little shrug and shook her head. "I don't know. He's a disgusting foul pig." She glanced over her shoulder and then rolled her eyes. "Who is staring at my ass." She tried to hide the grin creeping up on her face. "But I think he's just trying to be sweet."


	50. Chapter 50

**And once more we near the staging for a bit of conflict. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you for the reviews! **

Chapter Fifty

Carol and Milton stood together in the large dining room with their backs pressed against the wall. They watched as Daryl and Rick discussed these new developments with Hershel.

"Do you think this is going to do any good?" She whispered.

Milton nodded. "It seems to be going okay."

Just then Rick looked over and winked at her. It seemed to be going just fine. She didn't know if she was relieved or not though. Rick wanted to stay longer because he wanted to send out a hunting party for Duane's dad. She understood but she still didn't think it was smart considering that potentially armed men weren't the only things to worry about out there.

Hershel shook their hands, Carol noticed that Daryl only hesitated for a second, and then Hershel left the room. Milton and Carol waited as the other two men talked for a few more seconds and then Rick walked towards them with a grin on his face.

"How did it go?" Carol asked.

"Seems like Hershel is more afraid of the livin' than he is the dead. He see's this other group as a threat and feels like maybe we can be of use. He wants us to move into the house so none of us are exposed." He sounded excited.

Carol, on the other hand, felt a knot of dread form in her stomach. It was good that they didn't have to leave right away but the reason they were going to stay was still a bit frightening. There were men in the woods that could hurt them. And Rick was going to lead some of their people right into the woods to face them down.

But instead of voicing any of this she just smiled and nodded. Daryl was next to her then and he knew there was something wrong. He gave her a questioning look but she just smiled at him too. No need in stressing anyone else out. She had done enough of that over the last few days.

Rick put a hand on Daryl's shoulder. "You and Merle can start stashing our guns. If something happens I would feel a lot better knowing that everyone had access to weapons no matter where they were. Barns, outbuildings, places like that. No one should be caught anywhere without a weapon." He looked down at Carol, "You have yours?"

She nodded and then looked up at Daryl. "I'll help you and Merle and then we can get everyone inside. Are you sure Hershel is okay with all of this?"

Daryl nodded. "That group has him pretty scared. He's the one that insisted we come inside. I wasn't gonna argue with the man."

"Where's Merle?" She asked, unable to stop the blush that crawled up her cheeks.

It didn't go unnoticed either because Daryl smirked at her. "In his room with Sophia and the boys I last I saw."

"Oh God." She groaned. "Why is it that the only ones that want to hang out with Merle are the ones that are the most impressionable?"

"He ain't too bad when they're around." He said as they made their way down the hall.

Carol opened the door and then stopped and gaped. There was Merle sitting in the middle of the floor, cross legged while all three of the kids were on their knees watching him intently. He had an assault rifle disassembled on the floor in front of them. None of them looked up. Merle was studying the kids and the kids were staring at the pieces in front of them.

"Your turn, girl." Merle grumbled. "You gotta know a weapon. Everything about it. Show these boys how it's done again." He grinned as Sophia went to work.

Carol was still staring wide eyed as Sophia reassembled the gun quicker than she thought possible and then sat it back down on the floor in front of Merle.

"That's my girl." He nodded in approval. "Take it apart."

With those deft motions she did as he told her to do and the pride in the mans eyes lit up his whole face. The boys stared on, trying to keep up with how quickly she worked. When it was in pieces once more Merle nodded to Carl.

"Your turn." He said gruffly.

Carl went to work, messing up a few times but otherwise did okay. He wasn't as quick as Sophia had been but Carol was actually impressed.

"Not bad, Friendly Junior. Better'n the last time." Merle said with much less enthusiasm than when he had praised the girl.

"Havin' fun, Merle? What'cha plannin'? Gonna create your own army or somethin'?" Daryl asked.

Merle's head shot up and his eyes narrowed. "I'm bored little brother. Unlike you I ain't got nothin' to do all the time." He stood up and picked up the rifle. He slid it under the bed and then put his hand on his hip. "The hell ya'll want anyway?" He grumbled.

"Rick wants us to stash guns around just in case." Daryl explained. He glanced down at the kids who were still sitting there on the floor. "You actually did a good thing here, brother. The more they know about these things the less we gotta worry about'em tryin' to play cops and robbers and killin' each other on accident."

All three of the children shared annoyed looks. Duane stood up and the other two followed. He looked at Daryl. "Would it be okay if they showed me around? It's been a long time since I've been able to hang around people my own age." He glanced down, "And we're too old for cops and robbers sir."

Daryl studied on it for a few seconds and then nodded. The kids all bolted but he spun and caught Sophia around the waist, lifting her so she was dangling there. "No huggin'." He growled into her ear.

She laughed and then swung a sharp elbow into his chest so he dropped her. She landed lightly on her feet and turned around with a mock glare before taking off once more.

Carol tried to hide her own smile at their antics. But soon he was all business again. Merle agreed to help after trying to convince them that the only reason he showed the kids the big guns was so their parents would get pissed off about it. Not because he gave a shit if they were safe.

They made their way out to the biggest barn at the very back of the property, carrying two guns each. That would be plenty out there. Milton had told them that Jenner had gotten the guns off of the dead soldiers that had been scattered around in front of the building.

Carol wasn't happy that those men had died and she wasn't happy that Jenner had thought he needed to store away an arsenal in the CDC but she had to admit that she was more than happy that they were the ones that had ended up with them. They had desperately needed them. Especially when they hadn't known where they would end up.

They were walking out of the barn, Carol wasn't paying much attention to anything in particular when she suddenly felt someone jerk her backwards and then she found herself shoved behind Merle's back. She had been walking between the two.

Daryl was instantly alert as he followed Merle's gaze. She wasn't sure what they were looking at but suddenly she found herself peaking around the bigger Dixon with the material of his shirt balled up in her fists. She cursed under her breath.

She spotted three men walking out of the woods towards them. From what she could make out, there were two regular looking guys and one fat man. All three waved at them as they continued to approach.

"The fuck you think about this, brother?" Daryl asked in a hushed voice.

"I ain't likin' it at all." Merle growled and then to Carols surprise he slipped his arm behind his back and gave her pat on the waist. He must have felt how hard she was squeezing his shirt in his hands. "You keep yer ass right there, Carol. Don't you fuckin' move."

Daryl brought his crossbow around but he kept it lowered while the men approached. Merle didn't have a gun on him so she let go of his shirt and reached for her own. She slipped it into his hand and then felt him relax. The men finally stopped when they were about fifteen feet away and Daryl raised the crossbow.

They all stopped and put their hands up. One looked pretty young and Carol had been right, the one next to the young one was a big guy with a beard. Not big like Merle, but fat.

"Hey, we weren't looking for any trouble." The man didn't look to be looking for trouble but she couldn't help but notice how the boy and big man kept glancing at him. He was obviously the leader out of the three of them. The younger guy looked nervous.

"That's a shame cause that's exactly what you found." Merle said in that cocky raspy voice of his. He rolled his shoulders and she could feel the tension rolling off of him again. This was the kind of thing men like Merle thrived on. Confrontation and violence. He was in his comfort zone here and Daryl seemed to slip right back into what must have been their old roles. He kept the crossbow aimed at the man doing the talking but otherwise left the rest up to Merle. She watched as the muscles of Merle's back flexed. If someone had told her a month ago that she would feel this safe being this close to the Dixon brothers she would have told them they were crazy.

"Hey, we were just out looking for food. You don't have to point that thing at me. We just saw some live people and decided to come see who it was, that's all." His accent sounded strange. Like a New England accent.

Daryl didn't lower the crossbow.

"Man, this is some place you guys got here." The kid said.

The fat man scratch his stomach. "Sure is."

The other man glared at his companions for a second and then flashed a smile at Merle. "I'm Dave. This fat bastard right here is Tony and the kid is Randal. We really aren't here for any trouble. Just thought it would be nice to see some friendly faces, that's all."

"Do I look like a friendly person to you?" Merle asked in a threatening tone.

The man who called himself Dave put his hands up once more. "My mistake."

"Yeah, sure was." Merle said in that low voice of his.

Tony moved his head to the side a little. "What are you hidin' back there?"

Merle glanced at her over his shoulder and gave her a dangerous smile. He nodded. "It's alright. Might as well come out from behind me. No sense in lookin' like a chicken shit when I know that you ain't. " He whispered. There was an unmistakable gleam in his eye. She didn't like it at all.

Carol stepped around him and stood at his other side. He reached over and pushed Daryl's crossbow down so it was pointed to the ground.

"The fuck you doin', Merle?" Daryl hissed.

"I know their kind, little brother. Just wait." He said quietly.

Dave nodded at her. "Ma'am."

Carol lifted her chin a little, for some reason not wanting to look weak in front of these men. Merle was right. She was not a chicken shit.

Dave shot Tony a hard look that the man ignored and that was when she noticed that the man was staring at her. His eyes were narrowed and there was a small smile on his face. The boy was glancing around nervously, not looking at anyone at all.

"Pretty, ain't she?" Merle grinned but when Carol shot him a look his eyes were cold, no humor there.

"Merle." Daryl growled.

Merle ignored him. "Ya'll from a larger group?" He asked as he draped his arm over Carol's shoulder. "Or is it just the three of ya out there?"

"We have more. Mostly men. We have some resources too. Maybe we could pull together, better chance of survival if people band together, ya know." Randal said with that nervous way of his.

"Mostly men, huh?" Merle asked, keeping that strange smile on his face. "No women to share?" He laughed.

Tony laughed with him. "None that's worth much anymore."

"Is that right?" Merle still kept his tone pleasant enough.

"Yeah." Tony said as he scratched the massive expanse of gut hanging over his dirty khaki's. "Ain't been laid in weeks. Found us a couple real cute ones in the woods a few weeks ago. Real young too. But that was a few weeks ago, you know what I'm sayin'?"

Carol grimaced when she heard Merle chuckle low in his throat.

"So ya'll want us to share, huh?" Merle asked with that creepy smile on his face.

Tony dragged his eyes back over to Carol and scraped his gaze over her body.

"Easy, little brother. Just hold on a few." He whispered, his lips barely moving.

Tony actually licked his lips and she instantly wanted to gag. "That'd be real nice." He laughed.

"Now, what if she ain't all that interested in ya, big man? What'cha plan on doin' bout that?" Merle's smile was probably quite soothing to anyone that couldn't make out the hardness of his eyes.

Tony laughed. "Never stopped me before."

Merle laughed. "So you're a man that likes to take what he wants huh? I admire that in a man, Tony."

"That's right." Tony smiled.

Carol was gaping at Merle and she couldn't believe Daryl hadn't said anything to him yet. She watched that smile melt off his face then and she glanced back over to the three men.

Merle removed his arm from her shoulders and then shot Tony right between the eyes.


	51. Chapter 51

**This chapter is a little longer than the last few. Hope you all enjoy this one and have a great morning! Or night, depending on what side of the globe you are on =) Give me feedback! I'm trying to get to the good stuff but there is so much that has to go into the different things each character is going through and how they are developing that I'm trying to do that and still hold onto the story. It makes it take longer to get from one place to the other here. Daryl and Carol were easy. Then when I started the Merle and Sophia POV I was worried that it would feel like the story was slipping a little. There is a point to all the time I have spent on these two, especially Merle, so I hope you are still enjoying it!**

Chapter Fifty One

Everything was a bit of a blur after that. Daryl saw Dave reaching for a gun so he shot him in the knee. He dropped like a stone, forgetting all about the gun. The boy did the same but Merle had his gun trained on him so he just whimpered and held up his hands.

"Good shot, Bro." Daryl said as he slapped Merle on the back as he made his way over to Dave. He knelt down and grabbed the mans gun first and then he put one booted foot on the guys shin and yanked the arrow out of his knee. He wiped it on his pants before placing it with the rest. He needed to look at Carol but he didn't want too. This wasn't something she would take very well and he wasn't ready to deal with her. Instead he watched as Merle shoved the kid over next to his buddy.

He landed on his knees and kept his head down. "I didn't do nothin'." he cried. His friend wasn't just crying, he was howling. Clutching his knee and rolling back and forth in the grass.

Looking up he caught Carol's eye just as the others were coming. Everyone was running towards them and he stood up and gave Merle a look. Merle just nodded.

"Jesus!" Rick skidded to a stop, Shane right on his heels. "What the hell happened here?" He asked as he took in the scene before him.

"They drew on us. Merle shot that fat fuck in the head and I got this one in the knee. Needed'em alive. They said they're from a bigger camp."

"You think it's the same camp?" Rick asked as he looked down at Dave who had finally grown still.

"Has to be." Daryl nodded.

Merle stepped away from the boy as Shane approached. Daryl backed up himself and then was surprised to feel a hand on his back. He turned and Carol was there. He searched her eyes but they were as clear as ever and that small smile was on her face. He hadn't realized how much he had dreaded the look on her face. But there was nothing there to dread.

"You knew what he was doing, didn't you?" She asked quietly.

He nodded grimly. "Merle's a lot of things, but he ain't all that bad. Two things he hates more than anything is people who mess with little kids and men that like to torture women. Soon as he got him talkin' I knew he was gonna kill'em. At least the fat one. He'll kill the other two too once we get what we need from'em."

She nodded and then looked over to where Merle was standing alone. "You know how close Sophia was to those men?"

Daryl felt his stomach start to churn at the thought of it. "Yeah. I've thought of that."

"Do you think they could have..."

"Don't fuckin' matter. She was smart and she got the hell away from them. Just like I knew she would." He growled.

She nodded, kissed him and then turned around to walk towards his brother. He watched them. Merle rolled his eyes and rubbed the back of his, probably waiting for her to lay into him. Daryl was kind of waiting on the same thing.

He wasn't close enough to hear what she was saying but whatever it was had him frowning. And then had his face turning red. She reached up and placed her hand on one side of his face and then reached up on her toes and kissed him on the jaw. He silently hope Merle didn't have the same reaction that he had had the first time she had ever done that to him. But he didn't. He just looked at her for a few seconds and then she turned and walked back towards him.

He glanced up and had to stifle a laugh when he saw who else had noticed. Shane was glaring at Merle now. Good. Stupid prick.

She took his hand when she reached him. "I'm sorry about everything I've said about your bother." She said quietly.

He nodded, not sure why she was saying this to him.

Sophia, Carl and Duane showed up then. They all three looked scared to death.

"Where's Merle?" Sophia asked suddenly.

Daryl pointed towards where Merle was standing alone and she took off towards him. "Wonder what all that was about?" He asked out loud even though the question wasn't directed towards anyone.

"She heard the gunshot and thought that maybe someone hurt Merle." Carl explained.

Carol looked up at him and then shook her head. "What is it about him?"

Daryl gave her a crooked smile. "You tell me?" He arched an eyebrow.

"I was wrong." She said. "Very wrong and I owed him an apology. Sophia was right when she said I was a hypocrite. I was."

"Merle ain't the easiest person to give a chance too, woman. He does that to himself." Daryl said as he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer, not caring that they were standing with a rather large group of people at the moment.

"But my twelve year old daughter saw right through him. She knew. I was such a bitch to him. Even to you and you had every right to stand up for him."

"What had gotten your feathers all ruffled over Merle in the first place," he asked.

Carol glanced over her shoulder where Shane was standing with Milton and Hershel while they checked out Dave's knee.

When she looked back up at Daryl he just nodded. He had known it from the start but at least she was admitting it now.

"You think you can stay away from his stupid ass now?" His brow pulled together and she reached up with a finger to smooth it out.

"I can manage that. I still don't want him to run off and get himself killed, though. He was my friend at the quarry."

"Carol," He whispered as he leaned down next to her ear, "He wanted to get in your pants."

She frowned. That isn't true. Not at first. I think he's just a typical man. He wants to get in anyone's pants."

"I didn't try to get in your pants." He said with a smile.

"No. But you got me out of them the very first time I ever visited your tent." She arched an eyebrow.

He laughed at the memory and several people turned to stare at him. He wasn't much for laughing. Or he used to not be. He had more things to laugh about lately. And their first night together was definitely one of them. The rest of the group would get used to it eventually.

"No!"

Daryl looked over at Duane. The boy was wide eyed and backing up slowly.

"The hell?" Daryl asked as he followed the boys gaze.

The crowd had moved a bit and now the men on the ground, all three of them were in plain view. And that's when he knew for sure that these were the same men that had attacked the boy and his dad. Before the kid could take off Daryl grabbed him by the wrist and called for Rick.

"Duane?" Rick sounded worried. "What is it?"

"Those men." he turned his eyes up to Rick. "They're the ones that got my dad."

~H~

Merle watched as Rick and the others led the Randal boy and that Dave guy off somewhere. He didn't much care where the hell they took them or what they did to them once they were there, as long as he didn't have to look at them anymore. He should have killed them too but he wanted to know where that camp was just as bad as the rest of them. Not so much to find the black guy that they had taken, it would just be pretty fun to shoot the assholes. Maybe beat on a few before he planted a bullet in their brain.

Shooting the fat guy wasn't enough. He wanted his hands to get dirty. All this craziness that he had been dragged into the middle of was really starting to get to him. All this family shit. And it was only going to get worse since the rest of them were moving into the house. Like a dysfunctional fucking Brady bunch. He sighed as he thought of sitting through another awkward ass meal at the table with all these idiots. And then sure enough if he didn't join them here would come little miss bossy ass Sophia telling him how he needed to try harder. Like he wasn't trying enough. Didn't she get that all he wanted to do was kick most of them in the ass? And do much worse to some of the others.

He could have flogged Carol for what she said to him earlier. Marching over here like she owned the world and apologizing to him for how she'd treated him. Like he gave a shit if she felt bad for acting like a bitch. Telling him some bullshit about how good a man he was. And then the crazy woman reached right up and kissed him on the jaw. He hoped his stubble gave her a rash right on her mouth. It would serve her right. He wasn't a good man. He was dangerous. He was Merle. Plain and goddamn simple. For her to say any different really pissed him off. She was crazy.

"Think your somethin' now, don'tcha big guy?"

Merle looked up from his musings to find Shane standing in front of him, a tight smile on his face. "The fuck you talkin' bout, officer numb nuts? You gotta problem?"

Shane placed his hands on his hips and dropped the smile. "You think that you can just go around shootin' people?" Shane asked.

Merle gave him a careless shrug but on the inside he was seething. He was tired of this guys shit. Fucking with him and making things hard for his brother. Two things smarter men wouldn't try. But this guy wasn't smart. "Don't see anybody around here that has the balls to stop me. Didn't see Rick having a problem with the way this little drama played out. He's the boss around here, ain't he? Not like it was back at camp. He makes the calls. Hell, boy, you ain't even in the runnin' to be his bitch, are ya?"

This seemed to get under Shane's skin a little. He glared at Merle.

"Hit a soft spot did I?" Merle asked with a grin. "What hurts the most there, Deputy? The fact that your best buddy has taken to turnin' to my brother for advice, or is it that other thing?" Merle's grin widened. "You know. How here lately you don't seem to be very important to the skinny bitch you was bangin' in the woods at the quarry? You know. Your best friends _wife._"

"If you knew what was good for you Merle you'd shut your mouth right now. Ain't nobody scared of you. You're nothin' but talk. Your nothin' but trash."

"I'll be sure to go ask Fat Tony how he feels about your little assessment. And from what I can tell, you ain't nobody around here yourself. You wasn't nothin' but a pastime fuck in the bushes to that bitch. Nothin' but a cheap screw. She gonna let you have anything to do with that kid? You know that baby belongs to you and your just too big a pussy to stand up and take whats yours. Ain't that right?" Merle laughed coldly. Maybe he couldn't kill anyone here but he could at least stir up a little shit while he was stuck in this fucked up Disney movie.

He had to admit, Shane was fast. One second the man was standing there in front of him and the next he was right there in Merle's face, gun pressing against his forehead. Merle just smiled.

"If I was you I'd shut up now. You don't know me. You don't know what you're talkin' about. Your own brother don't give a shit about you anymore. Not now that he has Carol and that kid. You're nothin', Dixon. You think anyone would blink if I blew your brains out right now?"

Merle's eyes didn't waver and his smile didn't twitch. "Do it then, pussy. Pull the fuckin' trigger. Show 'ol Merle you gotta pair."

"You get that gun away from him, Shane." They heard Sophia growl from a few feet away.

Shane didn't take his eyes off of Merle's. "You go on, Sophia. Find your momma. You don't wanna see this."

"I don't think you understand. Get that goddamn gun out of his face you stupid prick!" She growled.

Merle had no choice but to look. He slid his eyes down and then they widened when he saw that she was standing there with her gun pointed right at Shane's head. "I think you're wrong, Shane. At least one person would have a problem with you puttin' a bullet in my brain."

Shane scowled and then backed away from Merle, he hadn't looked over at the girl yet but as he backed away, keeping the gun trained on Merle, she stepped in front of him, gun still raised. Merle put a hand on her shoulder.

Shane was pretty stunned. He lowered the gun and stared at the girl now and stopped backing up. "What do you think you're doin', girl?" He said bitterly.

"Merle, do you want me to kill him?" She asked, keeping her narrowed gaze on Shane and the gun aimed at his head.

"Thought you said that killin' wasn't nice, darlin'?" Merle smirked as Shane took another shaky step back, like he could sneak away from a bullet.

"I think I'm bout done being nice. You tell me right now, Merle. Do you want me to kill him?"

Merle wasn't sure how he felt about all this. The kid sounded dead serious. So serious in fact that when his eyes met Shane's over her head the man did look like he was a little worried how this all might play out. "And what would ya do if I said to go ahead with it?" He asked.

"Then I guess I would have three kills under my belt." She said in a low serious voice.

He felt that strange fluttering feeling in is chest again and hoped he was having a heart attack. He didn't want to think of what else it could mean. Whatever was stirring there was foreign and uncomfortable. "Shane, you put that gun away and get the fuck outta here. Unless you want me to give her the go ahead? Not like you got a lot goin' for you now days."

Shane tucked his gun into his pants, gave them both one more hard look and then walked away.

Merle didn't say anything until the man was nearly out of sight. When Shane was far enough away he knelt down and turned the girl around to face him. Her face was calm and the gun now hung at her side. He knew the piece well. It's the same one he had used to kill his own daddy. "You okay?" He asked in a voice that showed more concern than he liked to admit.

She nodded. "Don't you dare believe anything he says, Merle. He don't know anything about how people feel about you." She still sounded angry.

"I ain't gonna kid myself, darlin'. I know how everybody feels about me. I just don't really give a shit." He gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"I don't think you do. You're brother loves you. My mom is really starting to come around. And I..." She blew out a frustrated breath. "I know that at first I just wanted you to be good because I wanted things to be easier on Daryl. But that isn't the reason anymore."

He frowned at her, not sure he liked where this was going at all and for a few hopeful seconds he thought maybe she wouldn't finish what she was going to say but he had no such luck. Go figure.

"You're my friend. You're like my new psychotic uncle or something. I can't really explain it very good. But I'll always have your back because that's what you do when you care about someone. And I care a lot." Her voice was very low when she was finished.

Merle didn't say anything. He didn't want to hear anything she had to say. He was Merle Dixon and Merle Dixon didn't need people caring. He didn't want people caring about him because he didn't care about other people. Not one goddamn bit. But before he knew it that stupid kid had her skinny arms wrapped around his neck, and with that sick fluttering in his chest, and fear written plain as day on his face he wrapped his good arm around her and hugged her back. He told himself that it was just because she had saved his ass. Maybe twice now, that he let her get away with hugging him. But deep down he knew that was a damn lie. And it made him feel more weak than he ever had in his life.


	52. Chapter 52

**This chapter is longer than the others so I hope that makes some of you happy! And there is some Merlie =) Which makes me VERY happy. Read and review! **

Chapter Fifty Two

Daryl glared down at the men that were now cuffed inside the very shed that Rick had caught Shane and Lori in. After explaining to Hershel exactly who they were and the things that their dead friend had said the old man said that they were Ricks responsibility and he could do with them what he pleased. Apparently the man didn't have much of a soft spot for rapists, regardless of what his faith had taught him. Some things, for some people, just weren't forgivable. Hershel had two daughters that Daryl was sure had crossed the old mans mind when they were telling him about the girls the men had found in the woods.

Daryl could almost sympathize with him. Sophia wasn't his but that didn't matter. That didn't mean that he loved her any less than if she was his own. She was his in every way that really counted. He didn't know when it had happened exactly but there it was. She had been out there with those same men and as that thought went through his head, for the hundredth time he bent down and punched Dave right in the face. The mans head crashed into the wall by the force of the blow. He thought about how small she was and then he stomped down on the mans injured knee, grinding the heel of his boot into the wet wound. He thought about how scared she would have been if these sick fucks had found her and he punched him again, once, twice, three times.

"Tell me bout them girls ya'll found out there, you sick mother fucker." He growled as he grabbed the man roughly by the face.

It was obvious that Dave was in a lot of pain. His face was swelling from the beating Daryl was giving him but he was an arrogant son of a bitch. He tried to grin but his busted lips wouldn't let him. "Not that great by the time it was my turn." He spat blood in Daryl's face and choked out a laugh.

That did it. Daryl seen red then and without even bothering to wipe his face off first he just started reigning blows to the mans head and face. He didn't stop until there wasn't much left of his face to hit. He'd probably been dead a while but Daryl didn't care.

He finally came to his senses when he heard the other guy sobbing in the corner. "Don't kill me. Please don't kill me. What do you want? I'll tell you what you need to know, just don't kill me. I ain't like him and Tony. I didn't touch those girls."

Daryl glared at him but didn't trust himself to speak. He couldn't do this. Rick had to do it because if he had to stay in this shed with this kid for another second he was going to do the same to him as he did to Dave. He needed to get out. He needed Carol.

He pulled out his knife and plunged it into Dave's head, just in case he hadn't done enough damage to the mans brain. He didn't feel remorse. He felt vindicated. The man got what he deserved. He left Randal sobbing and alone and locked the door behind him. He needed to get himself cleaned up. He wiped his face off on the bottom of his shirt and when he brought it down from his eyes there she was. She had been waiting on the back porch steps. He felt some of that rage slip away when she gave him a small smile and took his hand. Both his fists were covered in Dave's blood and some was probably his own where he had busted his knuckled open.

"Let's get this cleaned up." She said softly.

He let her lead him around the side of the house. Everyone must have been gathered around in the kitchen because the living room was deserted. The house was quiet. There was a small half bath right across the hall from the room he shared with her and that is where she took him. She didn't ask him anything as she ran warm water over his hands and then pumped soap into her own. Her hands were gentle on his as she paid close attention to his busted knuckles. When they were scrubbed down she handed him a hand towel and he watched her rummage through the medicine cabinet as he dried them. He figured she would say something else but she didn't. She didn't throw accusations at him and she didn't judge him for what he knew she knew he had done. She lightly smeared some antibacterial cream on his knuckles and then turned his hand over in hers and kissed his palm.

"There." She said as she dropped his hand.

"That it?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You got something else I need to take a look at?" She raised one eyebrow.

It worked because he laughed a little and then she brought her hand up and placed it on his jaw. He studied her face intently but there wasn't a hint of disgust to be found there. "I killed Dave." He blurted out without even knowing why.

She nodded. "I knew you were going too."

"And that don't bother you?" He asked as he moved so she was trapped between him and the sink.

She shrugged. "You know as well as I do what would have happened to Sophia if they had found her before you did. You heard what that disgusting man said. Like the world isn't bad enough now? There isn't enough room in the world for both types of monsters, Daryl. And I know you'll do whatever you have to do to protect her. It's one of the hundreds of reasons that I love you so much."

~H~

Merle followed Sophia into the house. There was no way he was going to let her out of his sight now. Not with Shane slinking around like a fucking snake. He didn't know if Shane would do anything to the girl but he wasn't taking the chance. He was pissed too because he didn't want to have to follow the kid around all day. People would probably start thinking he was some sort of weirdo.

His brother and Carol came around the corner just then and he let out a sigh of relief. Carol smiled at them both but he kept his face as hard as he could.

"Ya'll don't let her out of your sight." He grumbled. "I can't watch her all day. I got shit to do."

Daryl frowned. "She ain't a fuckin' toddler Merle."

"She pulled a gun on Shane earlier. I don't want her anywhere near him just in case he decides to get even with her, or me."

"Merle!" Sophia hissed as she turned around and glared at him.

"What'd you just say?" Daryl asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

"Sophia?" Carol's voice was high pitched.

Merle looked down at the angry girl and shook his head. "I ain't fuckin' around with this, kid. That mother fucker ain't right in the head and they need to know to keep an eye on ya."

Carol was staring at them with them wide eyes of hers. "Why would you do something like that?" She asked, her voice still strained.

Merle answered before she could. "Because he was about to blow my brains out the back of my head. That's why. She saved my ass. Again." He said that last part grudgingly.

Daryl stormed over to them, eyes flashing. "He was gonna shoot you?" He growled.

"That's what it looked like to me. Had that hand canon pressed right up to my forehead." Merle tapped his head.

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill him." Daryl growled.

Carol was just gaping at all of them. Like she still couldn't believe anything she was hearing.

Rick chose that moment to enter the room. "Daryl. Did you kill Dave?" He asked angrily. "I just went out there to get some information out of them and that kid tells me you beat Dave to death."

"I did." Daryl said in a tone that indicated he didn't have time for Rick at the moment.

"Why? Why would you do that?" Rick asked as he threw his hands in the air in frustration.

"He pissed me off. Can we talk about this later?"

Rick stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? Did somethin' come up that more important than you killin' a man?"

Merle had to hide a grin when Daryl spun around and glared at Rick. "Yeah, as a matter of fact somethin' did. I'm bout to go hunt down that buddy of yours and beat him to death too. And that's more important than you bitchin' at me about killin' some piece of shit rapist."

"Shane?" Rick asked, looking confused now.

"He pulled a gun on my brother. Was gonna blow his brains out in front of her." He pointed at Sophia.

Rick looked from one face to the other and then he finally settled on the girl. "Is this true?" He asked.

Now it was Daryl who threw his hands in the air and paced around angrily.

Sophia nodded solemnly. "He was about to shoot Merle so I pulled a gun on him."

Rick took a step back, clearly shocked. "You had to pull a gun on him to save Merle? Are you sure he was gonna shoot him?"

"He had the gun pressed right up to his head. He was talking about how he could get away with it cause no one gave a crap about Merle. Guess he forgot about me. And if it happens again, I swear I'll shoot him dead." Sophia was using that calm voice which made the words she uttered even more disturbing to everyone in the room.

"You ain't gonna have to do that, Sophia." Rick said. It sounded like he said it to himself more than to her.

"What the hell you plan on doin' about this?"Daryl barked, causing them all to jump.

"Do about what?" Lori asked as she entered the room.

Merle smirked. This was about to get real interesting.

"Shane." Rick spat out the name like it left a real bad taste in his mouth.

"What about him?" Lori asked, at least having the decency to drop her head as she muttered the question.

Rick shot her a disgusted glare. "He's gotta go. He needs to get out of here. Hershel don't care too much for him anyway and he was about to shoot Merle in the head. He's a loose canon. He's a liability to our group."

Lori's head shot up and she looked from Rick to Merle. "You'd kick him out of the group over Merle Dixon? He could die out there. He will die out there on his own."

Carol grabbed Daryl's hand and it seemed to relieve some of the anger that Merle could see on his face. Merle wasn't a stupid man either. He knew Rick wouldn't kick Shane out of the group over him. Rick wanted Shane out of the picture because he knew the guy was banging his wife.

"Watch it." Sophia growled at the woman. Merle put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back a little.

"This is insane, Rick. Daryl just beat a man to death and you don't seem to have much of a problem with that but Shane can threaten _Merle_ and you'd throw him out?" Her eyes flashed down to Sophia, "And you need to watch your tone when you talk to adults, young lady."

Merle tensed at the tone that Lori used to talk to the girl."You need to shut your fuckin' trap, bitch, before I let her go and she shuts it for you. You don't talk to her like that again. You ain't no kinda momma to be sayin' a word to her." Merle snarled.

"That's enough." Rick said calmly. "Lori, Shane's out. He made his own decision. Daryl did what he did and I ain't sayin' I agree with it, but there ain't anything to be done about it now."

"Are you going to let him talk to me like that?" She asked, eyes wide.

Rick just shook his head and gave her a sad smile. "Lori, just go. This has nothin' to do with you."

By the look on her face you would have thought that Rick had hit her. She shook her head and left the room.

Merle had had enough. He gave Sophia's shoulder a pat and then he left the room. Stepping back out onto the porch. He stormed down the steps and then damn near jumped out of his skin when someone grabbed his arm and then leaned a soft body against his side.

"Hi there, Merle." Maggie beamed up at him.

"Hey, girly." he said lightly. "You stalkin' me now?"

Maggie just grinned and looped her arm through his. "I can't resist an angry redneck in black jeans and leather, Merle. Everyone knows that." She patted the leather vest.

"Is that right? My lucky day then, huh?" he mumbled.

Maggie's usually bright face fell a little. "What's the matter, Merle?" She asked and he was a little taken aback by the genuine concern in her voice.

"Nothin', darlin'. Just been a real fucked up day is all."

She smiled and then squinted up at him, wrinkling her nose a little. "Walk with me?"

He nodded and let her lead him off down the driveway. "Where the hell we goin'?" he asked gruffly.

"You ain't never just walked without havin' some place to walk too?" She leaned into him a little.

He shook his head. She wasn't anything like other women he had been around. For one, he never made it a point to hang out with women at all, so this was a bit of a first for him. Usually he'd meet a bitch in a bar, talk to her long enough to decide whether she was likely to put out or not and then go from there. He usually only had to make small talk for about ten minutes before he knew if he would end up getting laid or not.

"You ever just take a minute to look around and take in the view?" She asked as she glanced up at him again.

"What view?" He asked as he gazed out over the fields. All he saw were fields. Wasn't nothing special about it.

She stopped and came around to stand in front of him. "You're real hard, Merle." She muttered.

He glanced down and then back up at her. "Not yet." He smirked.

She pulled her arm away from him and placed her hands on her hips. "Does that really get you anywhere?" She laughed.

He just shrugged. "Pretty much. I ain't one to waste my time on a female unless I know I'm gonna get in her pants. It's a rule of mine."

"And you're sure your gonna get in mine with that filthy mouth?" She asked as she held up one hand to shield her eyes from the setting sun.

"If you had the slightest clue exactly what this filthy mouth could do to that pretty body of yours, I woulda had them pants off your ass any time I wanted." he smirked.

"Is that right?" She asked, not looking completely uninterested in his antics.

He nodded and watched as she hopped up onto a split rail fence, her boot clad feet swinging back and forth.

"Come here, Merle." She smiled and then bit her bottom lip.

He walked over to where she was but stopped about two feet away from her. "What?" He asked.

"Closer, Merle. I ain't gonna hurt ya." She laughed and just kept swinging those long legs back and forth.

"You're gonna kick me in the balls, ain'cha?" He asked suspiciously. "Cause I wont hit a woman but I'll knock you right off that goddamn fence if you try it, darlin'."

"Stop bein' scared. Just come here a minute." She rolled her eyes but she kept that smile.

He walked a little closer and then stopped.

"Keep comin'." She coaxed.

He finally just closed the distance completely until he was standing there right between her legs, he instantly looked down at her chest but she brought his head back up with a finger under his chin.

"Nope." She shook her head and gave him a severe look.

He frowned at her and then his eyes grew wide when he felt her legs wrap around him and yank him the rest of the way in. His arm slid around her waist and then he grinned. "Well damn, baby. If this is what ya was wantin' all you had to do was say so."

"No, Merle." She moved his hand down so it rested lightly on her hip.

He frowned again. "No?"

She shook her head and kept her eyes on his as she draped her arms over his broad shoulders and laced her fingers at the back of his neck. "No."

"Why?" He asked. He didn't get this girl at all. For one, she was usually cussing him out or threatening to chop off his other hand. Then she would turn right around and joke right along with him. Now she was trapping him here right between her legs, pressing right up against his dick with her legs wrapped around him and now she was telling him no. He was starting to think she was just flat out crazy.

"Because not everythin' is about sex, Merle." She leaned in and planted a light kiss on his forehead. Right where Shane had been pointing the gun not so long ago.

"The fuck was that for?" he asked gruffly.

She smiled. "Did it feel good?" She asked, looking much more innocent than she usually did.

"I 'spose so." He grumbled.

Her smile widened and then she unlaced her fingers and trailed them down, pushing the vest open and then exploring the hard muscles of his wide chest through his t-shirt. His hand tightened on her hip. "Does that feel good?" She asked simply.

He nodded. What the fuck was she trying to do to him? But her hands did feel good. That wasn't a lie. He just didn't see the point in it. If she wanted to fuck then he was definitely willing. She didn't have to do all this. But he was finding himself liking it. A lot.

"Good." She said in a low voice. "Do you wanna kiss me, Merle?"

His eyes widened. He wasn't expecting that one at all. He hadn't thought about kissing her. He thought about all sorts of other things though. But all of a sudden that's all he wanted to do. So he nodded again, knowing that she saw the confused look in his eyes. And surprising himself further by not caring that she saw that confused look. He never put much thought into kissing a woman before. He wasn't comfortable with kissing women. Sex was one thing. There was a purpose to it. A goal accomplished at the end of it. Kissing was different. Too intimate. Somehow more intimate than sex.

"Close your eyes then." She whispered.

He obeyed. He felt like he was under some sort of weird spell. The world was sort of slowing down around him and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He felt her hand stop moving over his heart and he knew she could feel it pounding under her palm. This made him feel exposed somehow. Like she was violating some private place in his head. He almost wanted to pull away from her. It was pretty clear she wasn't going to put out. So why the hell was he finding himself closing his eyes?

"There ya go." She whispered and he could feel her hot breath on his face and knew that she could feel it when that caused his heart to speed up a little.

He felt her lips touch the corner of his mouth lightly and he couldn't even remember how to respond. She moved over a little and kissed him again. Her lips felt good but he still just stood there, his eyes closed getting kissed by a girl that he wasn't kissing back for whatever reason. What the hell was going on here?

"Come on, Merle. I know you can do better than that." She said against his unresponsive lips. He felt her soft hands slide up to cup his face and so he parted his lips a little. She kissed him again. This time he kissed her back lightly and for some reason he felt like a fucking fool. But then her lips were on his again, more forceful now and something in his head clicked. He started kissing her back. Only with his lips. He never tried to force his tongue in her mouth, she didn't either. They just kissed. She tugged at his bottom lip a little as she pulled away.

He opened his eyes then and stared at her like she was the devil. Right then she might as well have been. He didn't know why but he felt even more exposed than before. Felt like she could see everything in the world that he tried to keep hidden away from people.

"Did that feel good?" She asked with a smile.

He nodded again but kept his mouth closed, his eyes warily studying her.

"You're a good kisser, Merle."

He thought about popping off with another perverted comment but nothing came to mind.

"You ready to head back?" She asked brightly.

"Thought ya wanted to walk?" He asked, his voice coming out huskier than he wanted it too.

She shrugged. "I really just wanted to try to figure you out a little."

He backed up from her so she could hop back down. "And did it work?" he asked as she twined her fingers through his and started leading him back up to the house.

"More than I coulda hoped for Merle."

What the fuck was he doing? He didn't pull his hand out of her grip, even though everybody knew that holding some girls hand was about the pussiest thing you could do. Other than kissing her for no good reason. He liked the way her hand felt in his and it made him want to go punch somebody in the face. He didn't want to like it. But she was right. Sometimes shit just felt good. Like having her hand in his. He glanced around just to make sure Daryl wasn't around to see this.


	53. Chapter 53

**Good morning! Hope you guys like this chapter! Don't you guys just love Lori? Yeah, me neither ;) Much love for the reviews and follows and favorites!**

Chapter Fifty Three

Carol could feel the tension in the room. It was like a board meeting or something. There were a lot of things that they all needed to discuss and once again they were all gathered around the table. Everyone except Shane, who no one had seen since the incident with Merle and Sophia. She glanced across the table where Merle was sitting with Maggie. He was staring off into space again. Something was wrong with him and that made her nervous. Nothing ever bothered Merle.

She stretched out her leg and kicked his shin lightly. He seemed to snap out of his daze long enough to give her a quick smirk but then he went right back to staring off at nothing. Maggie kept glancing at him too and every time she did she would get this strange smile on her face.

Rick's voice once again demanded her attention. "Now, I know what I think needs to be done about Shane. But I ain't gonna act like this is just up to me. I need to know how you all feel about it. We vote."

Lori spoke up then. "Don't you think we need the details? Like, what exactly did Merle do to set him off like that. You know Shane. You know he isn't a dangerous person."

Rick gave her that disgusted look again that he had been giving her a lot lately. But he did eventually give her a nod. His eyes found Merle, who once again was looking at the center of the table, obviously not paying any attention.

"Merle?" Rick said after he realized Merle wasn't paying him any mind at all. Maggie elbowed him in the ribs and then he finally glanced around and noticed that everyone was staring at him.

"What the fuck ya'll lookin' at?" He grumbled as he scooted down in his seat.

Hershel groaned at his choice of words but other than that he kept quiet.

"I asked if you could tell us exactly why Shane did what he did." Rick asked again.

Merle shrugged. "He was runnin' his mouth. I ran mine back. I guess he didn't much care for what I had to say."

"And he just drew on you? Didn't try to fight you?" Rick asked.

Merle sent him a cold look. "Fightin' me ain't all that easy if I see it see comin', Officer Friendly. Shane knows that."

Rick just nodded and then Lori shot him an incredulous look. "You aren't even going to ask him what he said?" She asked angrily.

"Does it matter? Hell, I caught the man having sex with my wife and I didn't draw a gun on him. I don't really care what Merle said to him. What I care about is keeping everyone safe. A man that threatens to shoot someone over an argument isn't very stable. It ain't safe, him bein' here."

"I saw what Daryl did. Someone that's capable of something like that isn't safe to have around either." She spat.

Carol felt the angry flush of heat rise up her cheeks but she didn't say anything. There was no talking any logic into that woman.

Andrea rolled her eyes. "Maybe we should have invited those men in, Lori. Offered them some food and polite conversation and then send them on their way."

Lori glared. "That isn't what I'm saying." She spat.

Rick smacked his hands on the table. "The man was talking about raping girls, Lori." He hissed. "You tellin' me you don't see why Daryl may have lost his head a little over somethin' like that? Do you even realize how close Sophia and Carl came to that camp? I want you to picture that little girl in your head right now and things that could have happened to her if she hadn't had the good sense to get the hell away before they spotted her."

Lori's face grew very pale and then she looked down at the table.

Rick sighed. "We're getting off track here. This isn't about the other group. Not yet. This is about our own and what we need to do to keep ourselves safe." The room grew quiet once more after that statement. No one really said anything. Merle slipped back into that trance he had been in all evening and Daryl groaned warily next to Carol. She knew exactly how he felt.

"He leaves or I kill him." Daryl said after the silence went on for too long.

Ricks head snapped up. "Daryl that ain't how we do things."

"He put a gun to my brother's head. Would have shot him too if Sophia hadn't showed up." He growled. "He leaves or he dies. Ya'll got a problem with that and we can get our shit packed and be gone by mornin'. But he'll be dead before I leave, you can bet on that."

Rick stared at him for a long time and Carol started getting nervous. She didn't want to leave. She would if it came to that but she didn't want to take Sophia away from these people. She looked up and caught Andrea's eye from across the table. The other woman gave her a nod and then glanced towards Rick.

"If they leaves then me and Amy are leaving with them. Merle runs his mouth a lot but Shane had no right to do what he did and Daryl did every one of us a favor." She said in a stern voice.

"If Amy leaves then I leave." Glen said suddenly.

"If the girls leave then I have no choice but to go with them." Dale said quietly.

Carol was shocked. She had not been expecting that at all. Rick had no choice now. It was either Shane leaves or the entire group leaves. She felt a lump forming in her throat as she looked at Andrea from across the table.

Milton pushed his glasses up and glanced nervously around. "I don't want to leave. But I will if the rest of my group leaves."

Everyone gaped at him. Carol felt touched to her core. The fact that he called them _his_ group made the biggest difference in the world than if he had used another word. She reached for Daryl's hand under the table. He jerked and then eyed her when she touched his thigh instead. She almost had to laugh but felt that it was certainly not the time for that. She found his hand and he gave hers a squeeze.

When she looked back up at Merle he was finally out of his daze and was scowling. He was not happy. She didn't figure he would be.

"I don't think I feel very safe with Shane here. I have my family to think about. My girls." Hershel said with a shake of his head. "This is my farm and I want him off of it."

"Then it's settled. He has to leave." Rick said sternly. He flashed Lori a look but she was still staring at the tabletop. "Now, about this other group. They're a threat. Duane confirmed that he had seen Dave leading the group that attacked him and Morgan. Now we need to decide if we wait for them to come or take the fight to the woods."

"I thought you wanted to go find your friend." Daryl asked.

Rick just looked at him. "And I was wrong. Whatever we do, we all need to do it together. No splitting up our group. And after what we found out about those men we can pretty much bet that Morgan didn't make it. I still have to talk to Randal so Daryl, you need to stay out of that shed."

Daryl looked away but nodded. From the looks of it he really had been looking forward to go back out to that shed.

"So we would all be going out there?" Lori asked as she finally looked at Rick. Her eyes were moist and her voice broke.

"If we decide to go after them then I don't see any other way." He said quietly. "No one gets left behind."

"Then I vote no. We should stay here. If you think Morgan is gone then there isn't any reason to go after them. Is there?" Lori looked from face to face and Carol hated to admit it but she had to agree with her. She didn't want anyone in those woods and if Rick wanted them all to go then that meant the kids too and that was out of the question.

"No." She said suddenly. "I vote no."

And so it went. They would stay at the farm. No one wanted to go out there and no one would agree to Ricks initial idea of splitting up the men and leading a smaller party out there to possibly be slaughtered. Daryl's refusal to go with him really did hinder Ricks chances of finding anything to begin with. He was not a tracker.

"So we find Shane and let him know what's been decided." Rick said as he got up and then shook Hershel's hand. "Daryl?" He looked at him expectantly.

Daryl nodded and wordlessly rose from the chair. Carol had a sick feeling in her gut as they walked out of the room.

~H~

Sophia tried to pay attention to what Beth was saying but she couldn't focus. She was angry that they had made all of the kids hide out in Beth's room while they all discussed what was going to be happening with Shane. Sure she was only twelve but she had been the one to find him there with that gun pressed up against Merle's head. It made her stomach do sick little twists when she remembered the crazy look in Shane's eye.

She should be down there. They needed to hear her two cents and it wasn't fair that they were treating her like a child. Twelve years old or not, she wasn't a kid anymore. None of them were. She felt most betrayed by the Dixon brothers. She had expected them to back her in her arguments but Merle was about as responsive as a Walker himself and Daryl was no help what so ever.

"Sophia?" Beth asked, apparently not for the first time.

Sophia offered her a small smile. "Sorry. What were you saying?"

Beth just smiled and shook her head. "I asked if you were happy about staying on here?"

Sophia nodded. "I like it here. I think we need to secure it better but other than that it's really great."

Carl and Duane were both sitting cross legged on the floor with their backs pressed up against the wall. She liked Duane a lot. He was really nice but he didn't talk much. She guessed if something bad happened to Daryl like what happened to his dad she would feel the same way. She knew what Carl's problem was and she felt really bad for him. He knew what was going to happen to Shane and it hurt him pretty bad. She had to keep reminding herself that Shane was someone that Carl loved like family. He felt the same way about Shane as she did Merle.

She needed to count her blessings. Duane had lost his dad. Carl was about to lose Shane. And there she was, finally, with everything she had ever wanted. She wanted to talk to Carl alone. Wanted to offer him some sort of comfort but Beth and Jimmy were under strict orders to not let any of them out of their sights. Daryl and Merle both thought that if Shane stumbled on her alone that he would hurt her. She wasn't afraid of Shane. She had a gun thanks to Daryl. She knew how to use it thanks to Merle and she loathed the man enough to shoot him thanks to her mother.

She slid off of Beth's bed where she had been sitting for what seemed like hours and made her way over to the morose looking boys. She squeezed into the small space between them. "You two okay?" She asked quietly.

Duane nodded but didn't look like he was okay at all. Sophia's put a hand on his and he glanced at her.

"At least you aren't alone anymore." She said with a small smile. "That has to count for something."

The corner of his mouth pulled up a bit and he nodded at her. "It does. It was scary out there."

"I couldn't imagine being out there alone. I had Carl and that made the biggest difference in the world." She said sincerely. She didn't even want to think of what it would have been like without her friend. She wished that she could make things better for them but she just didn't know how. This was big stuff and even though she didn't feel like a kid she still wasn't sure what in the world she could say to these boys to make them feel better. Or if there was even anything that could be said at all. Nothing she said would bring Duane's dad back and nothing she said would take away what Shane had done today.

She was afraid that Carl might be mad at her and if the situation was reversed she knew she would be furious with him. She glanced at his face but he just sat there looking straight ahead with that look on his face that bothered her so much. She felt tears spring to her eyes. Daryl said no hugging. So she wouldn't hug him. God knew as soon as she did he would barge in and freak out. So she simply laid her head on his shoulder and joined him in his silence, so he'd know he wasn't alone. He'd know she was still there for him.

She felt his hand wrap around hers then and she smiled slightly and gave his fingers a squeeze. He knew she was there. And he knew she wasn't going anywhere any time soon. And he didn't hate her for what had happened.


	54. Chapter 54

**So, I can't do a whole lot with all of the characters but I had to bring in some Milton. Him and the Dixon brothers are way too fun. Hopefully you will laugh. Thanks for reading! Oh, and I know that I've been posting these chapters way off schedule but I've been doing stuff and things and so it might be that way for while. **

Chapter Fifty Four

Merle made his way towards the barn. He felt tense and he wasn't even sure why. Well, he knew that part of it was because of the way everyone had acted at dinner. That little show of group solidarity. All his brother had to do was threaten to leave and all of a sudden the whole damn lot of them were there to back him up. And it was all because of Merle himself and none of them seemed to care. That part hadn't mattered to them. And by God, it should have mattered. He didn't need these idiots backing him. He didn't want it. At the quarry none of them so much as walked near him or his brother for fear they would either get their asses kicked or catch some white trash disease from them.

He shook his head angrily. And he was also tense because of that damn girl. Fucking with his head like he was some goddamn play thing. What was the point in her doing all that? He grumbled to himself. It wasn't that he didn't like it. That was the problem. He did like it.

He looked out across the field. The sun was setting and then he found himself stopping in his tracks and staring as the orange light as it played on the grass in the distance. He stormed off, his long legs picking up the pace so he could get to the barn quicker.

Merle heard someone approaching from behind and whirled around. It was Daryl and Merle didn't like the look on his face. He almost looked nervous. Great. That's all he needed. More shit on his mind. He glared as Daryl strolled towards him.

"What the fucks wrong now?" He put his hand on his hip and scowled.

"Can't find Shane. His car is gone but so is half our guns. The son of a bitch took'em." Daryl grumbled. "The hells your problem?" He asked as he finally took in Merle's aggravated appearance.

Merle just continued to scowl at him.

"Alright then."Daryl shrugged. "What do you make of this Shane situation?"

Merle sighed. "Sounds like he split. If he took guns then it don't look like he's got any plans to come back."

"I thought the same thing at first." Daryl muttered as he gazed past Merle towards the woods that the men had emerged from earlier.

"But..." Merle pressed.

Daryl shrugged. "Shane ain't the type to let shit go. I don't think he went far. I don't know when the shits gonna hit the fan but I believe it will. And we'll be getting it from both sides. That kid said that Dave was one of four brothers. The others are comin'. We just don't know when."

Merle finally felt his mood lift a bit. The thought of a battle was right up his ally. Even if Shane took a lot of guns, they still had plenty. "That kid say how many were out there?"

"He said thirty or more." Daryl said worriedly.

"They got guns?" He asked.

"Not nothin' like what we got but we're still pretty outnumbered."

"But they don't know what happened. Hell, all we'd have to do is say we ain't seen'em. Problem solved." Merle shrugged.

"You think them assholes are gonna see this place and then not try to take it? Your crazy, Merle. It'll come down to a damn war is what'll happen."

Merle just shrugged. "Since when are you afraid to die, little brother? Especially since you became all honorable and shit." Merle gave him that smirk that he knew got under his brother's skin.

Daryl glared at him. "Since I got shit to live for now, you fuckin' prick. When are you gonna stop thinkin' that the only person in the whole goddamn world that matters is yourself?" Daryl shook his head.

Merle thought of all kinds of things he could say to that. But nothing came out of his mouth. The truth was, he was starting to think that maybe his brother was right. But then he shook that thought off. Daryl turned pussy on him. That's all this was. And it was going to end up doing the same thing to him if he wasn't careful. He decided on the spot to stay away from Maggie Greene. She was treating him like a science experiment. She was bored so she wanted to fuck with the big bad guy. Mess his head up a little. He was to the point now that he really didn't even want to screw her anymore. But then he started thinking about kissing her and then he was finding himself wanting to kiss her some more.

Without thinking he kicked at the ground and caused a clump of dirt to fly up and nail Daryl in the forehead.

"You asshole." Daryl grumbled as he shook dirt from his face.

"Excuse me."

Merle and Daryl both turned and saw Milton standing there awkwardly. Daryl frowned. "Milton? The hell ya doin' out here?" He asked.

"I was actually hoping to find the two of you. If you aren't too busy, of course." He pushed his glasses up and glanced around nervously. He almost looked embarrassed about something.

Merle and Daryl shared a look and then glanced back at Milton. Merle had no idea what the man could have wanted with either Dixon but he was curious enough to ask. "What the fuck ya lookin' for the two of us for?"

"Well, I wasn't sure who else to talk to and I think I may need some advice." He said, clearly embarrassed now.

"And you came to us?" Daryl arched an eyebrow and gave him a disbelieving look. "Why?"

Merle elbowed him and gave him a quick look of annoyance. "What can we do for ya, Milton."

Milton took a deep steadying breath and then blew it out slowly. "Andrea and I have become quite good friends over the past few days and tonight she asked if I would like to room with her in the house." He blurted out quickly.

"Okay." Merle said slowly. "You want us to carry your shit in for ya or somethin'? Need us to do the heavy liftin'?"

Daryl rolled his eyes when Merle flexed his bicep a little.

Milton shook his head. "Oh, no. nothing like that. None of my stuff is very heavy." He took another one of those deep calming breaths and finally pressed on. "I couldn't help but notice that out of all of the men here, you two seem to be the ones that know the most about women. So I was going to ask you what Andrea could have meant when she asked me that."

Merle and Daryl looked at one another again and then Merle couldn't help it. He doubled over laughing, causing Milton to blush furiously and Daryl to scowl at him angrily.

"Quit you're brayin' you damn jackass." Daryl growled and then he looked at Milton. "I can't help you out there, brother. You're on your own. I don't know shit about women, other than they are all fuckin' nuts in one way or another."

"But you and Carol seem to have come a long way in the short time you've known each other."

Daryl shook his head and felt his face heat up. "That's different."

"How?" Milton asked.

Daryl blew out a frustrated breath and put his hands on his hips. "It just is."

Merle was only half listening. He was still laughing. The thought of Milton asking Daryl for advice about women was hilarious. He finally quieted himself and looked at Milton, trying to make his face look at serious as possible.

Milton, still looking quite humiliated looked at Merle and squared his shoulders. "Do you have any advice?"

Merle snorted. "Of course I do, but I gotta ask. What the fuck made you come to us with this shit? Why not Rick or Dale or fuck, even the old man?"

"You two just seemed to be the better choice. I've noticed that women tend to fall for men like the two of you. You have a certain way about you that attracts females." Milton said logically.

"So ya think we're sexy?" Merle asked as his new found straight face crumbled under his laughter.

"Oh, no. Nothing like that. But you do both have that rugged dangerous quality that women seem to find attractive. I just thought I would come to you for advice but I can tell that that was a mistake on my part. I am sorry for having bothered you." he went to turn around but Daryl stopped him.

"Milton, wait. Seriously, if she's already tryin' to share a room with ya then the hard parts kinda over."

Milton turned and shook his head. "She said she was okay with sleeping on the floor."

"Oh." Daryl said, looking like he actually felt a little bad for the guy.

"So you ain't fucked her yet?" Merle asked when he regained control of himself again.

Milton blushed furiously in the dim light. "No. It isn't like that at all. I just thought maybe it..." He trailed off.

"Spit it out." Merle demanded.

"Well, I thought the two of you could help me out a little with that part. I've seen the way Maggie looks at you and everyone know what goes on in Daryl's room at night."

Daryl's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head but Merle kept himself under control now. This was too fun to let slip by. He was gonna enjoy himself a while. After the fucked up day he had had he felt he deserved it.

"What the hell you mean, people know?" Daryl blurted when he finally put his eyeballs back into his head.

"Well, I don't know for sure. Just people talking about it is all. All good things of course."

Daryl glared. "Of course."

"Look Milton. First off. Stop bein' so goddamn proper. Loosen up a little. You're always all stiff and shit."

Milton surprised them both by pulling out a small notebook out of his back pocket and started taking notes.

Daryl just looked on, now chewing on a thumbnail, maybe to keep himself from laughing.

"And quit talkn' so proper like. Say fuck every now and then." Merle went on.

Milton glanced up. "Why?"

Merle shrugged. "Works for me."

Daryl pulled his hand away from his mouth and squinted hard at Milton. Then to Milton's dismay he walked right up to him and started untucking his shirt from his pants. Daryl stepped back and looked at him with a critical eye. When he quickly took his knife out Milton backed up a few feet but Daryl followed him easily enough and then grabbed the sleeve of his shirt to stop him.

"Be still." Daryl ordered and nodded when Milton froze. He cut a small hole in the seam on Milton's sleeve and then ripped the sleeve away completely as he held the hilt of the knife between his teeth.

"That knife still has blood on it." Milton said with wide eyes.

"Oh, that's from Dave." Daryl said when he took it out of his mouth and repeated with Milton's other sleeve. He wiped the blade off onto his pants. He looked over at Merle and nodded towards Milton. "What'cha think?"

Merle rubbed his rough chin and then nodded. "It's a start."

Milton jotted a few more things down in his notebook and then looked up and actually smiled. "Thank you. I think this is really going to help." He walked away quickly and Merle waited until he was in the house before he let loose and joined his brother in another fit of laughter.

It felt good just to let go and have a good laugh with his baby brother. Maggie didn't know what she was talking about. Merle knew how to enjoy the small stuff. Then his laughter died away when he started thinking about her again. Stupid girl was ruining his whole evening.

"You alright?" Daryl asked as he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.

Merle nodded. "Yeah, little brother. I can't believe you tore the poor bastards sleeves off though." He chuckled.

"Andrea already told Carol that she had a thing for the guy. I just thought it would be fun to see what it looked like if he was rednecked up a bit. And Carol said she'd cut me off if I told Milton what Andrea said." He flashed Merle a grin.

"You didn't just say 'rednecked up'." Merle shook his head and grinned. "She already holdin' the sweet stuff over your head, huh? You're whipped, boy."

Daryl snorted. "No I ain't. And I best get back up there. Sophia's madder than hell that she didn't get to listen in earlier."

Merle just gave him a stiff nod, wishing that Daryl could have stayed out there a little longer. He didn't want to be alone with his thoughts.

Daryl headed off towards the house and then Merle was alone once more. He hurried back to the room he had been looking through the night before. He had an idea for something to use for his stump. Right now it was still wrapped up but it was going to be an ugly mess when it was all healed.

He turned on the light in the tack room. The low watt bare bulb that hung from the ceiling didn't give off much light but it was still better than using candles or lanterns. He wasn't used to being able to have access to electricity anymore.

He heard the door open up before he even made it all the way to the work bench. He didn't turn around right away. He already figured he knew who was there.

"Follow me out here for a little more of that teasin', girlie?" He asked making sure he kept his voice gruff even though his pulse had quickened a bit.

"No such luck, asshole."

Merle stiffened at the sound of Shane's voice. He turned around slowly and sure enough there the man stood. In the middle of the room. Gun aimed right at Merle's head. Again.


	55. Chapter 55

**I wasn't going to post this chapter this weekend but I thought, since I left the last one hanging, I would go ahead. I'll be gone so I wont be able to update again until Sunday night or Monday morning! So I hope this will tie you all over. Thanks for reviewing and favoriting and following! Have a great weekend and be SAFE! =)**

Chapter Fifty Five

"They been lookin' for you, Deputy." Merle smirked.

"You know what I hate most about you Merle?" Shane sneered.

"Lemme guess, you know I gotta bigger dick than you and it gets under that skin of yours?" Merle asked. If he was going to die tonight he was at least going to get in a few insults first.

Shane ignored him. "What I hate most about you is the fact that you wont wipe that stupid grin off your face even when you know you're about to die."

"Is 'at right?" He widened his smirk. "Maybe it's cause I don't much give a fuck if you kill me Shane. You ever think of that? You gonna rip me away from all this?" He gestured around and then held up his bandage stump. "You gonna make me miss out on the mystery life still holds?" He let the smile fall a little bit. "Fuck you. You wanna hear somebody beg go shoot somebody else. You ain't gonna get it from me."

Shane laughed and it put Merle's teeth on edge. There was a strange bite to the sound. "I don't care if you beg you white trash prick. Beg or not the outcomes gonna be the same. I'm gonna shoot you. But I know what might get rid of that smile for ya." Shane used the barrel of the gun to scratch the side of his head and then he chuckled. "I plan on shootin' somebody else. Soon as I'm done in here I know the first person that's gonna come runnin'. And I'm gonna blow his brains out Merle."

Shane was right. The grin slipped right off of Merle's face.

"That's much better." Now it was Shane who was smiling. "You don't like that do ya, Merle. Little brother layin' out there in a pool of his own blood. No more Carol. No more Sophia. Everything he ever wanted, gone. Where's that smile at Merle?"

Merle glared at him. He didn't have anything else to say. He knew Daryl was smart. He wouldn't run out like a dumb ass and get himself killed. He allowed himself to think about the kid for a second. That would be a good last thought. She was going to have a fit when they found him but she would be okay. She was tough. As far as he was concerned she was as tough as any Dixon ever born. He started to feel a little bad about dying now though. Daryl would take good care of that girl. He was the only man that Merle knew could do the job. Wouldn't nothing happen to her or her momma on his brother's watch.

"Come on Merle. Smile for me." Shane taunted. "Nothing much to smile about? You know, I'm gonna have a long trip ahead of me after this. Figure I would drive out and see what's going on at Fort Bennett. It'd be a lonely drive. I think maybe I'll take Carol with me. She'll fight it at first but she'll get used to it. Hell she was used to Ed and I wouldn't ever treat her that bad. That girl, though, that girl is gonna have to stay here. She's spent too much time with you and your brother. You saw what that little bitch did. Pulled a gun on me over somebody like you." He scowled and shook his head.

Merle tensed.

"What the fuck are you gonna do, huh? You think you're bullet proof?"

Merle shook his head. He saw movement behind Shane but he was careful not to take his eyes off the other mans. "What the fuck ya waitin' on, pussy?" Merle spat.

Shane's smirk returned and then Merle braced himself because he could see the man's finger tightening on the trigger. He was kind of bummed that he didn't get a chance to kiss that girl one more time. Or at least cop a feel. He smirked at the thought right before he heard the gun go off.

~H~

Daryl tore his mouth away from Carol's as soon as he heard the gunshot and they were both off the bed instantly. Another gunshot went off a second later.

"Go to Beth's room with the kids and don't you fuckin' dare come out of this house." he was yelling it at her as he was running. He knew from which direction those shots came from. The barn. The same one he had left his brother standing in front of not long ago.

He tore off in that direction, kicking up dust in his wake. He didn't feel like his legs were carrying him fast enough but he was pushing as hard as he could. He knew that he was being stupid. Running out in the open like a madman but he had to get to his brother. He'd just gotten him back and he wasn't about to lose the son of a bitch again. Hopefully he didn't get gunned down.

No one came out of the shadows at him. Hopefully he would have the same luck in the barn. It was dark but there was a light seeping from the doorway at the end of the wide isle. He ran towards it and right before he hit the doorway he brought the crossbow up. Whoever had done this was gonna pay. He may die in the process but he wasn't going to be the only one.

He flew into the room and then stopped in his tracks.

"Merle?" The name came out sounding like he was choking. He sounded like a child. He lowered the crossbow.

The body on the floor wasn't his brother. It was Shane, sprawled out on his back. There was a clean hole right in the center of his forehead. Daryl's head shot up when he sensed movement further into the room where the light didn't reach as good.

He swiped a shaking hand across his sweaty face. Merle was there. Alive and breathing. He had his arm clamped around a shaking sobbing Maggie.

"Scare ya, baby brother?" Merle asked as he ran a hand down the back of Maggie's head.

"Yeah. Yeah ya did you, mother fucker. What the hell happened here?" Daryl asked, voice still slightly shaky.

Daryl heard footsteps running towards them.

"Daryl?" Rick shouted.

"In here." He yelled as loud as his voice would let him.

Rick, T-dog and Andrea all came running into the room, guns drawn. They all three glanced down at the body on the floor. Daryl watched as Rick shook his head and then wiped a hand across his eyes.

"What happened?" He asked as he tore his eyes away from a man who had been like a brother to him.

All eyes went to Merle who was still holding onto Maggie who was still sobbing in his arms.

Merle looked at Daryl when he spoke. "He came here to finish the job I suppose. Maggie came in right before he pulled the trigger. She..."

Maggie made a broken sound into his chest and he stopped talking. Rick just nodded, not needing to hear the rest of it.

They could get the rest of the story from him later. Maggie looked like she was in pretty bad shape. Daryl was watching Merle carefully. He couldn't hear from where he was but he could tell that Merle was leaned down, saying something to her that had her nodding slightly. His face was grim, his arm tight around her.

"Daryl?" He felt a hand on his arm but he didn't jerk away. He looked over at Andrea. "You need to get back up there. Carol had to hold Sophia down. She's probably still holding Sophia down. That kid's turning out to be a wild one. We'll help Rick with this."

Daryl nodded and turned his eyes back to Merle. He took a few steps and Maggie turned her body so she could walk but still keep her face pretty much buried in Merle's chest. They left the room together but Merle stopped right before they made it out of the barn.

"I'll be up there in a bit. You go take care of that girl before she tears the goddamn house apart tryin' to get out here." Merle said with a small smirk.

Daryl glanced down at Maggie who had resumed her position, face buried in his brother's chest, one arm wrapped around his waist ad the other covering the side of her face. He glanced back up and gave Merle a nod. "Glad you ain't dead, bro." He mumbled.

Merle grinned. "Yeah, me too."

Daryl took off back towards the house at a sprint. He couldn't believe he had been so fucking stupid. Running out there like that right in the open so anybody that had the notion could kill him. God, what would they have done if he had gotten himself killed? He nearly jumped every stair on the porch and he rushed into the living room.

Sure enough Carol was on the couch with Sophia almost on top of her, holding onto her around the waist. When the girl seen him she seemed to calm down right away. Carol let her go and she flew at him just like the day he had found her in the woods. She hit him with such force he nearly stumbled backwards.

Carol came towards them. "Is everyone okay?" She asked.

He spared her a glance nodded. It wasn't really a lie. Everyone that mattered was just fine. He'd tell her about Shane later.

"Don't you ever do that to me again." She yelled after she hugged him for a few seconds. "I thought you were dead. Do you know what that was like?"

He nodded, unable to say anything in the face of her rage. Suddenly she stiffened again and tried to take off towards the door. He caught her around the waist and lifted her up. "I don't think so." He grunted.

"Merle's out there!" She yelled as she squirmed in his arms.

"Merle's fine." He said into her ear. "I just saw him. If there was anything wrong with him then I wouldn't have came back so quick. But apparently somebody was throwing herself a tantrum." he grunted as she fought against him.

She went still in his arms so he sat her down on the floor. She spun around. "Don't lie to me." She whispered.

He shook his head. "I wouldn't ever lie to you. Especially about Merle. He's with Maggie."

"I wanna see him." She insisted.

He crouched down and put his hands on her shoulders. "No." He said flatly.

"Why." She hissed. "If he's okay then why the hell can't I go to him."

"This is exactly why. You can't just get hell bent on somethin' and then throw a crazy fit when you don't get your way. So your gonna keep yourself in the house and your gonna tell your mom that you're sorry for actin' an ass."

Her mouth dropped open but she closed it quickly and then narrowed her eyes. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Daryl, you can't tell me I can't do something when you know that you do the same thing."

He snorted and stood up. She kept her narrowed eyes locked on his. "No I don't."

"You threw dead animals at Carl's dad Daryl! And then you tried to stab him!"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Is anybody ever gonna let me live that down?" He grumbled. "And besides that, I'm grown. I can get mad and throw fits any time I want."

"Oh that's real mature." She snapped as she stormed over to the couch and flopped down heavily. He didn't even notice Carl and Duane sitting there staring at them.

"Look who's talkin'." He growled as he flopped just as gracelessly into the chair across from the couch.

"Did you just ground me?" She asked, still glaring at him.

He snorted again. "No."

She glanced over at Carol who was still standing there, but she didn't look worried anymore. She looked amused. "I'm sorry, mom." She said and she sounded like she really meant it.

"Daryl?" Hershel asked as he emerged from the hallway. "What's happened? I can't find Maggie."

"She's fine." He glanced down at the kids sitting on the couch and then he stood up and walked back towards the room Hershel had just abandoned. He leaned against the counter.

"What's happened?" Hershel asked again. "I heard shots."

"Shane came back. He was gonna shoot my brother." Daryl said in a hushed voice.

"Is Merle..?"

Daryl shook his head quickly. "Maggie was there. She stopped him."

"Maggie? But I heard shots..."

Daryl nodded. "Maggie shot Shane to save my brother."

Hershel leaned against the counter, looking quite shaken. "My Maggie shot a man?" He asked.

"We thought he was gone. He must have just been waitin'. Bidin' his time."

"Is she..."

Daryl nodded. "She's fine. Shaken up a little. She's with Merle." He wasn't sure he should have said that part. Him and Merle hadn't made the greatest first impression with the old man. But he didn't seem to be very bothered.

"She's a tough one. Beth is the sweet one but that Maggie." He shook his head and smiled slightly. "I'll put some coffee on. I don't think any of us are going to get much sleep tonight."

Daryl stood there for a few more minutes but finally made his way back to the living room. Lori was there now and he entered the room at the same time Rick did. Sophia was still sitting between the boys on the couch. He heard Rick explain to them what happened. Lori fled the room quickly but the boy stayed rooted to the spot. He didn't say anything when Sophia took his hand. She did glance up at him but he just nodded. This wasn't the time to get pissed off. He had seen how the boy was with Shane back at camp. Back before Rick showed back up. He had been good to the kid. He felt Carol wrap both of her arms around one of his.

"Is Maggie okay?" She whispered.

Daryl's lips twitched and he looked down at her. "She's alright. She's with Merle."

Carol rolled her eyes. "Lord help her."

Daryl just chuckled softly and shook his head. "Nah, he'll take care of her. Somethin' is goin' on with him though. Maybe that girl had somethin' to do with it.


	56. Chapter 56

**This chapter was NOT very easy to write. I've always been a fan of Merle. I have a real soft spot for people like him, as hard as that may be to believe. I grew up around men just like him. And more times than I would like to admit, I have been Merle Dixon, without the racism, but with all that protective hate. Being that person is not as easy as it looks. It is quite painful. He is the one in the show I relate to the most. And I know that he is a hated character for the most part. But I believe that people are shaped by circumstance. Everyone goes through their own private hells at one point in their life and it is usually those darkest hours that have the biggest effect on a person, not only on a psychological level, but on a level that goes much deeper than that. Those darkest times have the biggest impact on who we eventually become as people. So in this chapter, I wanted to show you, in my opinion, why he is the way he is. Hated or not. So, thank you for reading, and I hope that pulling the scabs off of this character will give you a better understanding of MY Merle. I hope I did it justice. Like I said, it was not easy. It was sad and it was frustrating and it was very personal. I really hope you like it. Let me know what you think. I'm really curious. **

Chapter Fifty Six

Merle wasn't sure what the hell he was suppose to do. She had stopped all the crying a while ago but she still held onto him tightly and would still let out a small sob every now and then. And god, she was shaking like a leaf. He thought maybe she was in shock. He was pretty shocked himself. As soon as he had heard the gun go off he closed his eyes. Thought maybe that he had died and really hadn't felt it. But the floor had felt pretty solid under his boots and the bench he was leaned against still felt like a bench. Not the fire and brimstone he had been expecting at all. When he heard the second shot he had opened his eyes and there was Shane. Dead as a doornail lying on the floor and Maggie was standing there with a pistol in her hands.

He wasn't sure what to do at that point but then she threw down the gun and just stared at the body for a few long seconds and then walked towards him. Her face had freaked him out a little bit. He wouldn't say it scared him. He wasn't scared of shit. He wasn't even scared while he was looking down the barrel of that gun. But her face had been freaky. Eyes wider than he'd ever seen them and skin as white as a sheet.

Now they were standing just inside the barn. His arm still wrapped around her and her face still buried in his chest. He was damn near soaked through with her tears. He refused to think she may have gotten snot on him. He made a face. "You ready to go in now?" He finally asked.

She shook her head which caused him to sigh. "I just k-killed a man, M-Merle. The l-least you can d-do is stay with me a w-while." She stuttered into his shirt.

"Okay. I guess gittin' my ass saved by another goddamn girl is good enough reason to stand here for while longer." he muttered into her hair without even knowing how his face had made its way to the top of her head without him telling himself to do it. "You didn't have to do that, ya know?" He said quietly, still not lifting his face away, and knowing he should.

His words finally got a reaction out of her. She pulled back and stared up at him, he couldn't make out much of her features in the dark but he didn't need to see to know that she was probably glaring at him. "Why would you s-say that?" She asked angrily.

He shrugged. "You seem pretty tore up over the whole thing. Figured maybe it'd woulda been a bit easier on ya if ya hadn't done it. You didn't have to. I ain't never done nothin' for you."

"Would you have let him shoot me in the head, Merle?" She whispered.

He shifted uncomfortably. "That's different. You're just a girl. Nobody can just let a man shoot a girl." he scoffed.

"I ain't a girl." She said. She was starting to sound more like herself for which he was grateful. The sooner she pulled herself together the sooner he could get his ass to his room and forget today even happened.

"You're a girl." he said stubbornly and then he dropped his arm from around her waist. Maybe that's what he needed to do. Think of her like she was a kid and then he'd stop thinking about her at all which was the best thing for him.

"I'm twenty one." She argued but she unwound her arms from around his waist and then swiped the tears that still stained her cheeks.

He laughed. "Is that right? Well then, all that makes you is an older girl, sugar. Still a girl in my book."

"You go around kissin' on girls often Merle?" She asked hotly.

He smiled in the dark. There she was. This was the Maggie he was used too. "Nope. But today one sure did seem to be havin' fun kissin' on me."

Her hands went to her hips. "Do you wish I hadn't?" She almost sounded hurt and he didn't know what to do with that. He wanted to tell her no because he didn't want to hear that in her voice again but he wasn't going to lie to her. He had liked it, sure. But he wished she had never done it. If she would have ripped her clothes off and jumped all over him then he would have been fine with that. His brain could process that. But what she did was something else and he didn't want nothing to do with it. So he was honest.

"Yeah. I wish you hadn't." He said in a low rasp. There was no mocking tone, no joking hidden away in those words and no sarcasm that could be detected. Truth rang loud and clear in his statement.

She gave him a stiff nod but didn't turn and walk away like he expected her too. Instead she stood there, her breathing returning to normal. "Because you think I'm too young? Or is it because you're scared?"

He didn't have an answer for that so he just stood there silently. He truthfully didn't understand the reason behind it. Couldn't articulate it.

"You ain't nothin' but a big phony, Merle Dixon." She whispered. "You strut around like you're the cock of the walk, bullyin' people and tryin' to convince the whole world that you're this bad ass man that's hard as stone and wont ever change." Her voice kicked up a few notches. "But I know the truth. It ain't the world you're tryin' to convince, Merle, it's yourself. Your a broken man on the inside, either too scared or too scarred to even try to _feel_ anything if it ain't instant gratification. You're an emotional retard because you wanna be." She took a step forward, fists clenched at her sides. "And I tell you this, I might be younger than you. Maybe just a little girl as far as you're concerned, but you're nothin' but a little boy and _I_ ain't gonna waste another second of my time tryin' to dig through that wall of stupid you've built up to shut the world out. I just wanted to help you."

And without another word she turned on her heel and stormed off towards the house. Merle watched her go, too stunned at the moment to even move. That girl didn't know what the hell she was talking about. Who was she to stand there and judge him? Somebody like her didn't have a clue what made him who he was. Growing up in a place like this with that daddy of hers giving her everything she ever wanted, momma doting on her spoiled little ass. Never knowing what it was like to have to fend for herself. Never knowing what it was like to feel real pain. To feel the fists of her own daddy pummeling her face until she couldn't see. Never heard the sound of her own bones being broken under the wrath of a man that was suppose to protect her.

Anger surged, black and ugly, swirling through his mind with something else following that angers heels. Something that froze the blood in his veins. Something that he wasn't able to recognize. He shoved away from the wall and then turned, kicking it over and over until the wood gave way. He backed up until he felt the solid wood behind him and then he slid down slowly, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. His breath caught in his throat as he suddenly felt trapped. That rage was still there, the way it always was but that other thing was gaining ground in his mind now. That feeling of helplessness, he recognized it now. That feeling he hadn't let himself feel in decades. He didn't feel like he was in control anymore, like someone else held something over him. He needed that control.

No, that girl didn't know shit. How many times did that little bitch lay in bed at night and pray to a God that wasn't listening that the drunken bastard would just stop breathing? Listening in the dark while her baby brother, who was barely old enough to walk, screamed from a beating that he didn't deserve. Knowing she couldn't stop it. Hoping that he would come back to give her more just so she wouldn't have to hear the cries from the baby in the next room. Knowing that she couldn't get up to help because she was already broken and one more blow may be the one that killed her? How many nights had he lay, curled up, gasping for breath, wondering if it was over for the night? How many?

He dropped his head to his knees, his breath coming out ragged and struggling to pull more air into his lungs, gasping, feeling his head reel as memories long suppressed assaulted his mind. Weakening him. Torturing him. He couldn't let this happen. He had to stop this.

Had she ever woken up on a dirty floor after having her ribs cracked and her head slammed into a wall by her daddy? Had she ever felt the biting sting of a leather strap on her back? Had she ever known what it was like? Blood? Had she ever tasted her own?

Would her momma have stopped it? That was what momma's did, right? They stopped it. Even Carol had put herself between Ed and Sophia. But not his momma. No. Not once. But he knew she had seen. She had heard. The thought of his momma had his gut twisting painfully.

His head snapped up, slamming into the wood behind him. Once, twice, three times. But it wasn't enough. Wasn't enough to draw his attention away from the pain in his chest, like his ribs were being shattered all over again by that long dead piece of shit. He stood up and whirled around, slamming his fist into the wall. He wasn't getting enough air into his lungs. He could hear the sounds slipping out of his mouth as he slammed his fist once more into that unforgiving wood, in his mind it wasn't the wood at all but the drunken face of his dad. He needed to breath. He needed to let this go. He had too.

Had Maggie ever felt like him?

He swiped the back of his bloody hand over his eyes and it came away wet. Salt stinging his busted knuckles. A ragged sob escaped his lips and he kicked the wall again.

_Hands around his throat. Knowing he couldn't let the man kill him. Who would be there to protect his baby brother if he died? Even knowing death would be easier he needed to protect the boy._ _Had to live for the boy._

He punched the wall again, harder this time.

_His dad spitting in his face before shoving him to the floor._

He braced his hand against the wall and slammed his knee into the wood until the wood cracked. Another broken sound tore its way out of him.

_Nose broken. Lying in the middle of the hallway floor. Choking on the blood. Daryl, maybe three years old, with his finger to his lips so Merle would know to keep quiet as the little boy wiped the blood out of Merle's eyes with his own tiny hands. Trying his hardest to clean up the mess the best way he knew how as Merle lay there unable to move from the pain in his body. The boy tried to sooth him as he groaned there on that floor. Tears in the boys eyes but refusing to let them fall, knowing that the man in the next room would come after him next if he dared to cry. His momma, his own momma, staggering right past both of them. Not giving either of them a second glance. Daryl's hushed voice, hoarse and pathetic, "We'll be okay, Merle. I'll clean you up and we'll be just fine, alright. I'll take care of you now."_ The memory of those words slashed through him. The force of the pain almost knocking the wind from his lungs.

He dropped to his knees but that made him feel too exposed. If the man came for him now he couldn't be on the ground. He had to protect himself. Had to keep his brother safe. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that wasn't going to happen. The man was dead. But it didn't register. He just knew he couldn't let the man find him that way so he pulled himself back up and attacked the wall once more as more of those memories assaulted him.

_Daryl on the floor, curled up in the fetal position. Not moving, eye swollen shut, bruises on his face and arms. Merle thought he was dead. Daryl had been five years old then and Merle had crawled over to him, praying that he was still breathing. He hadn't let himself pass out until he felt the shallow rise and fall of the small chest under his hand. _

Pain worse than any he had felt since he was a boy coursed through every fiber of his being as over and over those memories flooded through his mind. He had to pull himself together. He had to stop remembering. He felt a touch on his back, light as a feather, and he cringed away, spinning around and stumbling backwards, expecting to see them there. His dad come to finish what he had never had the balls to finish before, his momma standing behind him to see the show.

_Why had she not helped them? She was their momma and momma's didn't let their little boys hurt like that. Did they?_

He couldn't see who was there. Who had touched him. Would it hurt if this person tried to touch him again? His vision was blurred. His eyes were wet, those broken sounds still tearing through his closing throat. He couldn't see. He couldn't catch his breath. Didn't know who was coming. He stumbled backwards some more and tried again to wipe the tears away.

"Merle?"

He dropped his head and then fell to his knees to the hard ground. He didn't want to hear that voice. She's the one that had done this. Reduced him to nothing but an open wound laid out to be seen by anyone that happened by. Every part of him hurt like he had been skinned. And she was watching. Knowing.

She dropped to her knees in front of him and he tensed. He wanted her to leave. He didn't want this. He never wanted this.

"Merle. I'm sorry." She whispered.

He couldn't lift his head. Didn't want to see pity on her face. He just wanted her to leave him alone. He wanted her to go away. But she didn't. He felt a small hand on the side of his rugged face. And even that hurt. He flinched away, another sob cutting through the silence of the barn. She didn't move her hand, instead her other hand came up to cup the other side of his face, holding him still.

"It's alright." She crooned as she held his head still between her trembling hands.

He shook his head back and forth and then she tried to pull his head closer but he wouldn't budge. He just wanted her gone. He didn't want her to see. No one could see this. But she was stronger than she looked and finally he gave up. He was tired. Much to tired to fight anymore. He let her guide his face to her shoulder and he buried it there.

His chest was still heaving as he tried to take in more air and every time a sob escaped him she would shoosh him and stroke the back of his head or rub his shoulders. His mind felt fractured but still, she held him tightly, mumbling things he couldn't even comprehend at the moment and every once in a while she would press her lips to the side of his face, his temple, his jaw. Eventually he moved his arm around her waist, not sure why but knowing that there was something about this that felt good. Maybe this is what it felt like to actually need someone. Anyone to make the hurt go away. He wanted to be angry. Silently begged for that hateful shield to take root again and guard him from wanting something as pathetic as this.

But begging wasn't doing him any good at the moment. He stayed right there on his knees in front of her as her hands wiped away some of the pain and left humiliation in their wake. He was quiet now, his mind going numb to what had just happened to him. He wasn't even sure what had just happened to him. Whatever it was, he guessed, it had been a long time coming. Now he just waited. Waited for her to decide that this was too much and bolt from the barn, leaving him feeling colder than he had felt before she had showed up to begin with. He took in a steadying breath and let it out slowly. She knew how weak he was. She knew how broken he was inside. She wouldn't stay.

"You're gonna be just fine." She whispered. She kept his head where it was and straightened up, still on her knees, so she could get closer.

He wished then that she was right. But it wasn't true. He wasn't going to be just fine. Not after that. Not after knowing that she seen him like that. It wasn't because it was her. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone seeing him that way. Just like she had said. She saw a scared little boy on the barn floor and it pissed him off. He almost wanted to attack the barn wall once more. But he was too tired and too drained and too weak in spirit and body at the moment to cause any real damage. So he kept his head there and let her hands continue to message away the pain.

He felt her lips on the side of his neck and then on his jaw. What was she still doing here? Why hadn't she gone away yet? Not that he even wanted her too anymore. She'd already seen it. The gaping wound that made up most of who Merle Dixon really was. But she was still here. Warm and willing to make it better, and too damn stupid to know that there wasn't any making him better at all. He tilted his head just slightly, just enough to skim his nose along her throat, stopping when he felt her pulse hammering right under his lips.

His grip tightened around her waist and she was pressed flush against him and it was then that she finally pushed his head away from her shoulder but as soon as he lifted his head, a head that felt too heavy to keep up for long, she pressed her lips to his and then finally pulled back and looked at him. He knew she couldn't see much.

"You okay?" She whispered.

He didn't trust his voice so he slowly shook his head back and forth. What was the sense in lying now? He wasn't okay. He was a mess.

"But you're gonna be." There was a hint of a smile in her voice at that.

Once more he shook his head but had to stop when her lips met his again. He kissed her back, letting the feel of her lips on his fill up his head and push everything else out. Nothing mattered but this, at least for the moment. He had to believe that. So he kissed her back, and even he noticed the desperation in the way his lips moved over hers. Nothing else mattered. None of it.

When he felt the soft tip of her tongue trace his bottom lip he tangled his hand through her hair and kissed her harder, tasting the evidence of his breakdown, salt in her mouth from where she had kissed away the tears that had traveled to his jaw. And for some reason the taste of him in her mouth drove him farther. He wasn't thinking of sex, he was just thinking of her and how it really was good just to feel sometimes. That was the point she had been trying to make earlier. That it was okay. And the relief he felt in knowing that even after all she had seen, she still wanted to be there. She still wanted to help him. She still just simply wanted him, even in this state. And he was grateful. For her strength and for her warmth that was now seeping into his blood, thawing it. Making it easier for him to breath again. And still, nothing else mattered.

"Merle?"

He pulled away when he heard his brothers voice coming from the barn entrance. He still didn't trust his own voice. He didn't want to say anything but he knew if he didn't then Daryl would come looking.

Maggie turned her head then, like she had just read his mind. "Give us a minute." She called.

There was silence for a few long seconds and then he heard his brother's frustrated voice. "God damn you, Merle! You're gonna get us kicked outta here."

He couldn't help but let the ragged humorless laugh escape his lips. That was all that boy ever said to him anymore. His laugh was cut short when she started kissing him again. And that was how they stayed for a long time. Him loosing himself once more in the solace she offered him.


	57. Chapter 57

**Sorry I didn't update as much as I usually do. But I am giving you a much longer chapter this time so it should count for something. Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter. And sorry for making some of you cry. I just thought it was very important to rip him open like that. All the effort that went into that chapter was worth all of your great feedback. I figured after all he went through in the last chapter that Merle deserved a treat ;) Poor man. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Much love to you all that are following this story and I absolutely ADORE those of you that let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from all you regulars every day! **

Chapter Fifty Seven

"You're kidding?" Carol laughed as she walked by the fence with Andrea.

"Nope. I swear it. When he came in his sleeves were gone, his shirt was untucked. And I think he tried to sound like Merle."

"Merle?" Carol lifted one eyebrow.

"Swear to God. He asked me how the fuck I was doin'. And I know that could come from either Dixon at any given minute but it was just the delivery, you know? He even kind of _moved_ like Merle. You, know? That overconfident swagger? It was so... cute." Andrea laughed.

Carol nodded. "Did you ask him what he was doing?"

Andrea shook her head. "No. I slept with him."

Unfortunately Carol had just taken a drink of water and it spewed from her mouth as she laughed. "You didn't!"

Andrea nodded. "I did. It just seemed like he was trying to impress me. And I told you the other day how much I like him. I just didn't want to scare him."

"I knew the no sleeves thing turned you on." Carol bumped her shoulder.

Andrea gave her a look and then laughed. It was nice to be out in the open, talking to her friend. Daryl had been following her and Sophia around for most of the morning and it was driving her crazy. Not that she she didn't want him around but she didn't want him hovering. And he was hovering. He had even helped her cook for everyone and then helped her clean up. She had to throw a fit to go off with Andrea. She even had to lie and say Andrea needed to talk about woman things. He just about tossed them out the door then. But he did make sure they both had rifles strapped to their backs first.

They had found Shane's jeep in the woods not too far from the farm. She still couldn't believe what had happened. She felt like an idiot for trusting him. No one had talked to Merle as far as she knew. Sophia had slept with Beth, Daryl refusing to let her sleep in a room alone and he wasn't sure when Merle would come back from the barn. Daryl was already asleep when she had heard him come in. It had been pretty late.

She had went in to check on him when she got up. Usually he was the one in their room bright and early, scooping up their clothes for them and cracking jokes. Not that she liked this new ritual of his, but she instantly worried that there was something wrong when he didn't show. When she found him still sleeping she decided to just let the man be, even though if she had barged in and started giving him hell as soon as his eyes opened it would have been deserved.

She actually stared at him longer than she had any right too. It was strange but in sleep, much like his younger brother, the hard lines of his face softened into something that looked very vulnerable. She had shook off the thought though. She couldn't imagine Merle Dixon having one vulnerable moment in his life. He had probably been born throwing punches.

"So, how are you handling this whole mess with Shane?" Andrea asked once the silence went on for a while. They had turned and was headed back towards the house.

Carol took a deep breath and looked up at the low dark clouds that they all had woken up to this morning. "I feel stupid for trusting him, for one. I should have listened to my daughter. And I feel bad that I stopped him from leaving. Merle could have died last night. Do you know what that could have done to my family? Daryl loosing his brother? Again. Sophia would have had a melt down. You saw her last night. That would have been at least partially my fault."

Andrea slipped her hand into Carol's and shook her head. "That's bullshit and you know it. You see the good in people. That's just who you are. There isn't anything wrong with that."

"There is when seeing the good in someone gets someone else killed."

"You saved Milton's life, Carol. You saved Daryl from himself. Shane was a grown man and he made his decisions. You had nothing to do with that. Maybe Lori did. Maybe she drove him to that point. But you had nothing to do with it."

"Have you seen her since she found out?" Carol asked.

Andrea nodded. "She's a mess. But it's hard to feel sorry for someone like that."

"I know. I still do though." Carol sighed.

~H~

"How did you escape?" Duane asked as the three of them tossed stones into the pond closest to the house.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Told Daryl I was going on a walk with my mom and Andrea. I'm surprised he didn't pick me up and carry me right to them. He's driving me crazy."

Carl glanced at her. "He loves you. Your like his kid now." He said like that was an excuse for him to act like a watch dog.

"It's still driving me crazy." She grumbled. She turned to look at Carl while he wasn't paying any attention. He looked better. That was one thing about the way the world was now. You learned to move on fast.

"Stop complaining, Sophia. At least you have parents that care. My mom is locked up in a room somewhere and my dad is too busy trying to take care of everyone else to even know I'm there. And we both know Duane has it even worse than me."

Sophia's first reaction was to tell him to go to hell but she took a deep breath to calm herself. "You're right." She muttered instead. And he was right. She was very lucky. The luckiest person she knew at the moment.

"Just because our problems seem bigger doesn't mean she can't voice her own." Duane said in her defense.

Carl narrowed his eyes. "That isn't what I was saying." he said, sounding angrier than he had the right too.

Duane tossed another rock into the pond and then studied Carl for a few seconds. "That's what it sounded like to me."

Carl looked over at her then after giving Duane a dirty look. "Sorry. That ain't what I meant."

Sophia smiled and bumped his shoulder. "No problem, Grimes."

"So why do you guys think that guy was going to shoot Merle?" Duane asked.

Carl threw a rock. "Merle makes a lot of people want to shoot him. You'll see."

Sophia glared at him. "Watch it." She growled.

Carl ignored her. "You know. You should have met Sophia a month ago. She was always quiet and nice. Then here comes the Dixons and all of a sudden she turns into of them." He shook his head.

"Shut up, Carl." She hid the smile that threated. She would let him get away with it but only because she felt sorry for him at the moment.

They all three jumped as a loud crack of thunder broke the silence. Duane looked at Carl and Sophia with wide eyes. They both had their guns drawn. They caught each others eyes and nodded with a grin.

"Gettin' good, huh?" Sophia beamed.

"You know it." Carl said as he tucked his gun away, Sophia following his lead.

"Least I don't have to worry about much as long as you two are around." Duane said with shake of his head.

Sophia slung her arm over the boys shoulder and grinned as they made their way back. "Sure don't."

~H~

Merle had been awake for a long time. He heard the door open early and Carol had poked her head in to check on him. That had been a while now. Daryl had came too but he wasn't quiet and polite like Carol had been. He just barged right in with his hands on his hips and kicked the shit out of the side of Merle's bed and demanded he get up. But Merle refused, pretending to be feeling sick. He had studied Merle more carefully then and nodded, making the comment that he did look like shit. Merle could only imagine.

Daryl had left then but it hadn't been a few minutes later Hershel came in, changed the bandages and then wordlessly cleaned and applied ointment to his busted knuckles. The bandage changing was pretty basic. That was an every morning thing that he was used too but then the old bastard shoved a thermometer under his tongue. His brother must have told him that he was sick.

Hershel had told him that he wasn't running a fever. He could have told the old man that to begin with but he didn't feel like talking. He didn't feel like doing much of anything at all. Every time the door had opened he had been scared to death that it would be her. He didn't want to see her. Didn't want to talk to her. He wanted the fucking world to open up and swallow him whole so he wouldn't have to look that girl in the eye again.

He glanced towards the window when he heard a fierce crack of thunder. It reminded him of gunshots. And then that reminded him of Shane.

He wished that Shane would have shot him. Wished that Maggie hadn't made it in time. He wasn't afraid to die. He had never been afraid of that but he was afraid of her. Not her so much but he was afraid to have to look at her and know that she knew. She had to have came to her senses by now and decided that he was too big of a mess for her to deal with. He thought she would have last night but she had felt sorry for him so she did what she had to do to try to help him. And he would rather be dead than face her now.

He heard the door open then but he wasn't quick enough to pretend to be asleep again. He glanced over and there she was. Smirking at him like nothing had ever happened. He wasn't sure if that made him feel worse or not.

"I hear you're sick today." She shut the door and he turned his head so he was once more looking at the ceiling. "Need a nurse?"

He kept his eyes on the ceiling and shook his head.

"I ain't gonna let you do this." She said stubbornly.

He continued to ignore her. It didn't last long. She slid into the bed and then crawled her crazy ass right on top of him. She glared down menacingly. "The fuck do ya think your doin', girl?" He growled.

"Gettin' your attention the only way I know how too." She said as she leaned down into his face. "You need to get up."

"I'm gittin' there." He growled, falling easily into their old banter regardless of how much he wished she would go away.

She rewarded him with a smile. "That's a little better. But really, you need to get your ass out of bed. I ain't lettin' you lay here and wallow."

"Ain't nobody wallowin', darlin. And I ain't gonna be your little project either. What's done is done. Ain't much I can do bout that now, but I ain't one to tolerate pity. I'll put you on your ass before I have any of that."

"I don't pity you, stupid. Why is it so hard for you to believe that I might actually care? That maybe I like you. That ever cross your mind."

"Nope." He rasped as she readjusted herself so she was straddling his hips. "And you best climb right back off me 'for your 'ol man comes in here and catches you."

"Nope." She smiled. "Besides, he's asleep."

"Go away, Maggie." he said gruffly.

"Go to hell, Merle." She grinned, not buying his act at all.

He sat up quicker than she had expected and she grabbed his shoulders on instinct and stared at him. "Why's it so hard for you to take a hint?" He asked.

"Because I don't really believe that you want me to go." She said, finally sounding unsure.

"You ain't been turned down much have you?" he asked, trying to make her mad. He knew she would leave if he could just make her mad enough.

"I just wanna be your friend, Merle. I don't see any reason you would turn me down if that's all I'm askin' from you." her fingers played lightly over the tense muscles between his shoulders and his neck causing a pleasant chill to run down his spine and goosebumps to rise on his skin.

He shrugged. "I ain't never needed friends, girly. I got my brother. That's all I need."

"Your brother's busy. All you got is me." She whispered.

It was growing dark out with the gathering storm and both their faces were shadowed.

"Just you, huh?" It was easier for him to be with her now that the shadows were taking over. "That sounds real goddamn complicated."

"It ain't gotta be complicated. You make it that way, I don't."

"Yeah, you do. Puttin' all this crazy shit in my head. It's made things real fuckin' complicated from my end, darlin'." he said a low dangerous voice. He felt her stiffen as though the sound of his voice was scaring her. Good. He'd rather have her scared than have her pity him.

"I didn't put anything in your head." She was still whispering as though the gathering shadows demanded silence.

He chuckled low in his throat. "You think what happened to me last night was brought on by me? Nah, you woke somethin' up. Somethin' sleepin' that should have been left alone. I was fine. And now I ain't. And that's your fault. That complicates things."

"I ain't scared of you." Her tone defied her words and it made him feel better.

He knew it shouldn't but he wanted her to be afraid, needed her to be afraid. He was sure she would bolt then, what she did next definitely made the next thing that he was about to say stick right there in his throat. She peeled off her shirt and then grabbed him by the face and kissed him roughly. Her mouth was familiar now and he didn't hesitate before kissing her back and the taste of her mouth made his mind go blank. She shoved him back down.

"You wanna be my friend now, Merle?" She whispered in his ear when she finally tore her mouth away from his.

"I'll be whatever the fuck you want me to be." He growled as he undid the button on her jeans.

"For right now, right?" She moved her hips, causing him to groan.

Why in the hell had he wanted her to leave? He couldn't remember. "What?" He asked as he gripped her hip.

"You're gonna tell me what I want to hear and then once I let you fuck me your gonna go right back to hidin' in that shell, aint'cha?" She asked and then he realized that Maggie Green was an evil bitch. But Jesus she was hot.

"Stop fuckin' talkin', girl." He jerked when he felt her teeth nip lightly at his neck.

"Answer the question." She breathed.

He growled and with one arm he lifted her up and then rolled so she was pressed into the mattress by his weight. She gasped and to him it sounded half surprised and half scared. Good. She should be scared now. The girl should have quit while she was ahead. But she had insisted on fucking with his head. But he was done with that. She wasn't gonna get inside his head anymore. But he was going to get inside of her. At least once before he told her to hit the fucking door. He had too. He needed to take control of this situation. He had too because if he didn't he was going to lose his mind. She saw him naked. Vulnerable, broken, sobbing like a fucking child. She owed him. She should have stayed away and she didn't. Pushing pushing pushing him until he wanted to scream.

"Take'em off." He growled, maybe a little too harshly.

She stopped moving, eyes growing wide. But then she nodded and shimmied the jeans down her hips. He was on his knees now. between her legs, looking at her with eyes that he knew showed the hunger he was feeling. He couldn't remember ever seeing anyone so perfect in his life. And the only thing in the way was a flimsy wisp of black lace. Since Sophia was asleep somewhere else last night he had been able to strip down to just a pair of boxers. Just a couple more layers of cloth and he could have her. He could take back that control.

One hand or not, getting rid of their clothes wasn't hard at all and once they were out of the way he was on her again, kissing her so hard that he wouldn't have been surprised if both their lips would be bruised from it later.

"Please don't be too rough." She whispered as soon as she felt the full size of him pressing between her thighs.

He chuckled low in his throat. "What's wrong, darlin'? Been a while for ya, has it?"

"I guess you could say that."

He took in her wide eyes, her tensed muscles and the way she was pressing the heels of her hands into his chest, like she was bracing herself.

He moved slowly, just an inch and then froze. Something definitely wasn't right. "How many men you been with?" He asked, dreading the answer that he knew she was going to give him.

She shook her head.

Son of a bitch! She couldn't be serious. Her? There was no fucking way. None. She was bluffing. That was all it was. She had probably had plenty of men. Hell, he didn't think there was a such thing as a virgin after the age of fifteen. He'd never met one. Of course he had spent his time around people of a much different caliber than this one. He'd definitely never been with one. He could go ahead with it. Fuck, he'd be doing her a favor. It was the end of the world, none of them were promised much time, especially now. No sense in checking out without getting your rocks off first. She was willing. Hell, she'd started it.

But he eased himself away from her. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Merle?"

He moved all the way off of her and covered himself up with the blanket. "Get dressed, darlin'." He sighed as he stared once more at the ceiling.

"What? No. Why?" She sounded shocked and hurt at the same time. She covered herself up quickly and then rolled over onto her stomach.

Merle couldn't help but look down towards the perfect little mound that was her bare ass under the thin blanket. He groaned and then forced his eyes forward. This wasn't helping. He took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly and then looked at her. The shadows in the room continued to grow darker even though it couldn't have been noon yet. "I ain't the man for that kinda job, girl. You don't even fuckin' know me."

Maggie's mouth dropped with an audible pop and then she really surprised him by laughing at him.

He glared at her. "What's so goddamn funny?" He growled.

"You. I would never have guessed it. You care about me Merle Dixon. You. Big bad ass Merle Dixon, too afraid to steal away little Maggie's virtue." She grinned.

He snorted. "I do not. I don't even like you. Now get your naked ass out of my bed. I got somethin' to take care of, thanks to you."

She giggled. "You care, Merle. You would've done it anyway if you didn't care." She moved over closer to him and ran a hand down his chest.

"Go away. Your the goddamn devil." He grumbled but when she leaned in and kissed him he kissed her back greedily.

She pulled away. "You're learnin'." She smiled.

"Learnin' what? That I can't stand you? I noticed that."

"You're kissin' me because it feels good even though you know nothin's gonna come of it. Feelin' things isn't bad."

His mind went back to last night and he frowned. She had it all wrong. Feeling things was worse than bad. He didn't get this girl at all. Didn't understand what she wanted from him and didn't understand why she bothered. He didn't understand why she wouldn't let him push her away or why, deep down, he always hoped she wouldn't. He wanted her around and he hated himself for it.

They were quiet for a little while but her tentative voice broke it. "After last night don't you think maybe I know you better than anyone else?" She whispered. "I think I do know you."

His whole body stiffened and his heart started to race. "You don't know a damn thing." He was remembering now why she needed to get out. She was going to hold this shit over his head for the rest of his life. Or at least for as long as he was stuck on this farm.

"You're wrong. I'm smarter than you might think. "She traced a long scar that spanned his stomach and then she traced it's twin. "I know what last night was."

He grabbed her hand in a steal grip. He didn't know if he was hurting her or not but he didn't loosen it. She needed to shut up. Why didn't she ever just shut up?

She watched him carefully until finally, as quick as he had grabbed her he let her go and looked away after glaring at her for a few more tense seconds. He expected her to be scared and bolt but of course not. Instead she threw her leg over him and was on top of him once more. Except this time she was naked and he could feel every inch of her that was pressing against him. Her chest brushing his as he tried to keep his mind off of other parts of her body that was touching him. But his concentration was faltering. Her face was only inches from his and he found himself wanting to kiss her again but he stayed still, not even touching her. "You don't have to pretend with me." She said the words slowly, like she really hoped they would finally sink in.

She could feel him tensing again. He knew he was pretending and as a new wave of anger washed over him, she kissed the side of his neck. The tension ebbed. His anger faded at the touch of her lips.

"The fuck you tryin', girl? Some kinda new sexy therapy? Every time I start to try to fight you off you cause the blood to rush from my head to my dick. Don't seem very fair. It's kinda hard to think with you all over it like that."

"I don't plan on playin' very fair with you Merle. I don't think fair would work." She mumbled against his ear right before she brought her mouth back to his.

He was trying to be a decent man. But she wasn't letting him. She had to keep pushing him. What did she want him to do? And Jesus, it was actually starting to hurt, he wanted her so bad. But he had to keep himself from touching her. He would let himself kiss her back just because he couldn't help himself, but he wasn't going to fuck this girl. No way. But God the ache was about to much to take. He ripped his mouth away from hers, he was nearly panting. "You have to get the fuck out. Now. This shit ain't workin' and you have to leave." Even he was surprised by the pleading tone in his voice.

"I ain't a complete innocent Merle. I think I can help ya out with that if ya want.

"Huh?" He barked as she rolled her hips.

"You said you had somethin' to take care of. I can help ya with that if ya want."

"I don't think ya know exactly... Oh, fuck." He swallowed when suddenly she was moving down, her lips lingering on each scar she came across during her descent, until finally she had him in her hand and he thought for sure he was going to lose it then. God he felt as inexperienced as his brother.

"Wow." She muttered, sounding a little uneasy.

He laughed and then covered his eyes with his hand, remembering what he had said to Daryl the other day when he caught him and Carol on the dock. But he ripped that hand off of his eyes and looked down at her when he felt her take him into her mouth.

"Where the fuck you learn to do this?" His voice sounded too high, not even sounding like it belonged to him at all and then he groaned low in his throat when her tongue began doing some pretty strategic tricks while her mouth worked on him greedily.

He grabbed the pillow and bit the shit out of it. Not giving her the satisfaction of knowing exactly how good this really was. Maybe she really was trying some sort of therapy on him. But fuck it, he could get used to this kind of head shrinking. This girl could try for the rest of her life to figure him out. He'd gladly let her.


	58. Chapter 58

**I am so glad that everyone is so accepting of this Maggie/Merle thing I have going on. I know most people would rather her be with someone else (Glen) but I needed Maggie for him because who else is strong enough to take on a job like that? So, thanks for all your great reviews! You are the best and it helps to know how you feel about where this is going. There is MUCH more to come =) Hope you enjoy this one!**

Chapter Fifty Eight

Daryl glared at the black and purple clouds. The storm hadn't let loose yet but it was going to be a bad one once it did and his nerves were stretched thin. You couldn't hear someone sneaking up on you when nature was raising hell. He could smell the electric taint in the air and it was making his skin crawl. He paced the loft of the barn for a few minutes before he stopped to glare at the clouds once more.

"Looks ugly out there."

He spun around, caught off guard by the voice but feeling those taught nerves uncoil a little at the sound of it. He grunted at Carol, who was standing there with her arms crossed looking past him.

She narrowed her eyes once they settled on his face. "What's wrong?" She asked as she approached him.

He shook his head and glanced back out. "Makes me nervous. Can't hear too good during a storm. A herd can come through and we wouldn't know it till they were inside the house. Or those fuckin' freaks in the woods could show up and we'd all be gunned down before we heard'em."

"You worry too much. We're armed. We're strong and we're waiting for them."

She slipped her arms around his waist and he smirked down at her. "You don't worry enough." He grumbled and then shivered a bit when her fingertips slipped under his shirt and ran up his sides.

She just shrugged and flashed him that grin. The one he hadn't ever seen on her at the quarry until she'd started spending all her time with him. His grin. "I'm with you." She said. "It's hard to worry too much when I'm with you." She kissed his jaw.

"No pressure or anything." He growled as he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, more deeply than he had first intended, but that was what always happened. He tried to clear his mind of all the worries and put all his focus on her. She made him calm. He let his hands slide down to her throat, feeling her heart throbbing fast under his fingers. He smiled against her lips.

Someone cleared their throat and they pulled apart a little. Rick was standing there, T-dog behind him. They were both grinning.

"What?" Daryl grumbled as Carol untangled herself from his arms and took a step back.

Rick came closer and glanced out the open doors just like Daryl had been doing. "It's gonna be an ugly night tonight. We thought maybe we would post someone up here. Maybe wouldn't be a bad idea to have at least two watchin'. We can switch out so no one has to stay all night or anything."

Daryl nodded. "That's a good idea. I was thinkin' the same thing but I was just gonna spend the night. Catch up on sleep in the mornin'. Merle could switch out since the asshole's been playin' sick all afternoon."

Rick shook his head. "You ain't gotta hold this group up, Daryl. Everyone can pull their weight. I was thinkin' maybe me and Glen can take it at nightfall. You and T can take over after about four hours. Then Glen and Dale take it till dawn."

Daryl nodded. "Yeah, that's sounds good. Ain't been able to spend no quality time with my sidekick. You been missin' me, Tonto?" Daryl smirked.

"Man, I liked your ass better when all you did was mope around with a scowl on your face." T-dog muttered.

"And I like you better on the back of a horse." Daryl slapped him on the back before he grabbed Carol's hand and led her to the ladder.

Rick was looking between the two men as though they were crazy but at least he was laughing. Daryl hadn't heard him do that for a few days.

"You know, I don't think those men will just come out of nowhere and attack a random farmhouse. They'll send out people to ask around. Don't you think?" Carol asked as they walked down the center isle of the barn.

Daryl glanced down and then shrugged. "Don't matter. Ain't takin' no chances." he said in a low voice.

"I know. I'll miss you though. You know, we haven't spent a night alone since that first night when it stormed at the quarry." She mused with a small smile.

He grunted and then before she knew what was happening he was yanking her into another room. It was the same room where Maggie had shot Shane the night before but Carol didn't know that.

"What are we doing?" She asked with a laugh.

One of the first things he noticed when he had turned around and found her there in the loft was the fact that she was wearing a skirt. It wasn't revealing or anything, just one of those long loose numbers paired with a plain black tank top. But after giving it a tiny bit of thought he figured it would make it easy for him. He grinned. "Change of scenery, woman."

She frowned but then when he started bunching up the material of the skirt in his hands and then actually picked her up and sat her on the bench she knew exactly what he was thinking. He could tell by the way her breathing stuttered against his lips as he kissed her again.

Her quick hands undid his pants. He was starting to wonder if maybe there was something wrong with him. Any time they were alone this happened. But then when he felt her lips on his neck he shook the thought away. If there really was something wrong with him then she was afflicted with the same damn thing.

~H~

Maggie made quick work of putting her clothes back on. Merle watched the whole time. The girl may have never let a man get himself inside her but that didn't mean she didn't know her way around a man, he had to give her that. He figured she'd leave him alone now and that dark mood began to settled over him once more. He wasn't sure what he wanted. If she stayed then he would just be reminded of last night. If she left he would be left alone and still be thinking about last night. He hated to see her leave and then he hated himself for that.

She surprised him by throwing his jeans into his face. "Get up."

"No." He grumbled and threw them back at her.

She threw them again and then pounced on him before he had a chance to refuse her once more. He actually laughed and threw his arm around her. "Get up. We got stuff to do."

"Stay here." he said and then his eyes went wide because he hadn't meant to say that at all and he definitely didn't mean for it to come out so nice.

She smiled and then kissed him lightly. He was starting to like all this kissing bullshit. But he needed to make sure he never told her that. It was better to just let her think that he only did it to indulge her. But that would mean that she would think that he would do stuff he didn't want to do just to please her. Goddamn girl was making a mess of his head.

"You really want me to stay?" She asked after she pulled her face away so she could look down at him.

"No". He said and then laughed as she smacked him hard in the chest.

"Yes you do. But I can't. I have to make sure all the animals are put up. I wanted you to help me but I can see your just gonna lay around feelin' sorry for yourself all day. I'll leave ya to it." She kissed the end of his nose and then jumped away from him before he could tighten his grip on her anymore. That was when Hershel walked in with a tray of food.

"Oh, there you are sweetheart." Hershel smiled as he sat the food down on the nightstand. "I was looking for ya. Did you get the animals put up?"

She smiled and shook her head. "I was trying to get this grump to get up and help me. I think he's fakin' sick to get out of doin' anythin'."

Merle couldn't believe he was laying in a bed worrying about some girls dad finding out that he was messing around with her. He felt sick. He remembered a few stints he had done in prison and he had beaten the shit out of a few men for messing around with little girls. Of course she wasn't really a little girl. He knew that she was twenty one. That was well over the legal age. But he still felt like a dirty old man.

"Might be good for you, Merle. Get some fresh air before this storm cuts loose. I would feel better if she was with you anyway." Hershel muttered.

That poor old bastard. Merle would have laughed in his face if he hadn't felt sorry for the man. And if he had came in about five minutes earlier he'd probably have had himself a heart attack. Or he'd have shot Merle dead. If Merle had a daughter and he walked in on her going down on some grown man, he'd probably kill the guy. But as far as Merle knew, he didn't have any daughters out there anywhere. God, he could have kids spread out all over Georgia for all he knew though. And some of them could have been older than Maggie. He was starting to feel sick.

"Well, you gonna get yourself dressed and help me or not?" Maggie asked with a frown.

"Keep ya damn pants on girl, I'll come." He grumbled and then caught what he had actually said. He shot her a look and noticed, even in the dim room, her face was red and she was giving him the shut the fuck up look. Hershel just smiled and shook his head before he left the room.

"Are you insane?" She hissed.

"It slipped." He whispered. "Give me a break. I ain't used to all this damn sneakin' around shit. Some of us are adults, ya know? Can mess around a little without gettin' caught by their daddy." He arched an eyebrow at her.

She shook her head and headed for the door. "I'll wait for ya on the porch. Hurry up." She slipped out but before he could even get up she came right back in and kissed him hard on the mouth before she dashed back out again.

He was smiling to himself by the time he made it to the porch.

"What's with the grin?" She asked flashing him one of her own.

He dropped the smile and shook his head. "I'm up. Lets do this before we get soaked." He grumbled as she fell into step beside him.

"Little too late for that, Merle." She muttered just loud enough for him to hear.

He choked out a laugh right before he threw his arm over her shoulder. Virgin or not, Maggie was still a wild one. And even though he usually wasn't one to worry too much about anybodies needs but his own he was starting to get some ideas. "Ya know, darlin'. I think I just may have an idea how I can remedy that for ya."

"Is that right?" She asked, eying him with a vague smile.

"Yeah. I think I owe you a favor." He smirked.

~H~

"I'm bored out of my mind." Carl grumbled as the three of them sat there at the kitchen table while Patricia, Beth, Andrea and Amy worked on dinner.

"Me too." Sophia mumbled from her place between the boys.

"We could go practice." Duane whispered.

"That's something." Carl said. "I'm sick of Merle making fun of us because we aren't as fast as Sophia."

Sophia had to hide a grin. Merle had been proud of her so it was worth both boys embarrassment. She was pretty proud of herself too. She glanced up at the women but they were all busy bustling around, paying them no mind. "Can you get your hands on a few more? Then you guys can watch me and just follow my lead with your own guns."

Carl nodded. "They brought Shane's Jeep around front. I don't think anyone has taken the guns out yet."

Duane looked nervous. "What if we get caught bringing them in?"

"All we have to do is get them from the Jeep to mine and Merle's room. Everyone is busy getting ready for this storm."

Both boys were looking at her like she was the one that was suppose to make the final call. She nodded and they all three slipped out of the kitchen.

Sophia stopped them just before they hit the porch steps. "We need to get the pistols." She whispered.

"What?" Carl asked. "They are easier. Merle already said we both did good with those. Rifles are better."

Sophia rolled her eyes. "For one, dummy, we can't even use those rifles. Merle says they'll knock us on our asses. Those are for when we are older. We can show Duane what Merle showed us. Get him his own gun and then we wont have to worry about getting ourselves caught carrying in those big rifles. And we can kill some time teaching him about it."

"She's right." Duane said. "I'd feel a lot better knowing a gun that I can actually keep."

Carl sighed as they headed for the Jeep. Thunder rolled in the distance and Sophia jumped. Carl's arm went instinctively around her, then he realized what he was doing, turned red and dropped the arm. She almost laughed. Almost. If Daryl had seen that he'd have had a stroke for sure.

The jeep was unlocked but turned out to be empty. Rick must have taken the guns out earlier. Sophia kicked the tire. "Damn it!" She mumbled and then kicked the tire again, just because she could.

Carl's shoulders were slumped and Duane looked disappointed. But then suddenly Carl's head shot up and he grinned. "Wait!" he threw open the door to the jeep again and then reached his hand under the drivers seat. He didn't disappoint when he emerged. He beamed at them and then handed the gun over to Duane. "Here you go. Now all three of us is armed."

Sophia nearly squealed and threw her arms around Carl's neck, knocking him into the Jeep. He laughed and hugged her back tightly. "Carl Grimes saves the day."

Duane grinned and rolled his eyes at them. "So, you two gonna teach me how to use this or stand out here like two love birds?"

Sophia instantly dropped her arms and stepped back. She narrowed her eyes at Duane but she was too happy to give him the evil eye for long. He tucked the gun into his jacket pocket and the three of them took off right before the sky let loose with another crack of thunder and then sheeting rain.


	59. Chapter 59

**Some of you are good at guessing. Either that or I am a really predictable writer ;) I'll pretend it's you and not me. I have to clarify something real quick. The kids were just going to practice what Merle had shown them before, like the basics =) So no worries about them getting into trouble... yet. And that isn't a spoiler, that's just how they are in this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Another filler but it's at least pretty humorous. I have to get you relaxed before I make the shit hit the fan. Thank you for all the reviews! Have a great morning!**

Chapter Fifty Nine

Carol slid off the workbench and straightened out the skirt that she had found tucked into the bottom of on of her bags. She had forgotten about it since she had found it the day that Sophia and Carl had went missing. She was extra glad she had discovered it.

As soon as he had himself buttoned back up he had her pressed against the bench again, kissing her roughly, hands sliding her tank top up. She laughed against his lips. She wondered briefly if it would always be like this or if they would simmer down after the newness wore off. It was hard to believe this was that same brooding, fit throwing, scowling redneck from the quarry. Sure, he was still all of those things but he was much much more than all of that.

"What the hell you smilin' about?" He asked against her cheek.

"You." She said and then pulled his mouth back to hers.

Another rumble of thunder had them pulling apart and looking up. Instantly they heard the rush of rain, a lot of rain, on the barns tin roof. "Son of a bitch." He grumbled.

He kissed her again and then took her hand, leading her out of the room. They both stopped and pressed themselves against the wall when they saw Merle and Maggie. From the looks of it they hadn't even noticed the rain at all.

Merle had Maggie pressed up against the barn wall, her legs wrapped securely around his waist, her arms around his neck. They actually didn't make as strange a pair as one would think. Merle was all dark and intimidating in his heavy black biker boots, black jeans, sleeveless black t-shirt and that worn black leather vest, muscles flexed, he looked like a man that had just been released from prison. Maggie was so different. Soft and kind as far as Carol could tell. Everything about her was so much lighter. She didn't know the girl well but she knew that this was the strangest couple she'd ever seen but at the same time they seemed to fit.

Carol glanced at Daryl who was scowling at the pair. She elbowed him and he glanced down at her.

"I swear, he's gonna get our asses kicked off this farm. She's just a girl." He looked disgusted.

Carol rolled her eyes. "She's old enough to know what she's doing."

Daryl looked confused for a second. "Merle never kisses women." He whispered. "It's like some kinda fucked up Merle rule."

Carol cocked an eyebrow. "Looks like Merle even likes to break his own rules."

Daryl scowled again. "Good form, Merle. Try not to cause her to get any splinters, though. Hershel would get suspicious if he had to pull'em outta her ass."

Merle instantly stepped away from the wall and Maggie quickly untangled herself from around him. Daryl made another strange face.

"Hey, little brother. Didn't hear ya." Merle said as he glanced around to see if anyone else was around.

Daryl squinted at him. Was Merle acting nervous? Surely not. This was Merle they were talking about and Merle didn't get nervous about anything.

"Hi, Carol." Maggie waved from her spot at Merle's side.

"Hi, Maggie." Carol grinned.

Daryl just kept staring at his brother. Merle was looking at a spot behind Daryl's head, not at Daryl himself and then when Daryl looked down Merle was actually holding the girls hand. Merle didn't usually kiss women as a general Merle rule but every now and then he would. But this was his brother and Daryl knew his brother. Merle would rather get shot in the ass than stand there and hold someone's hand.

"What the fucks goin' on here?" Daryl asked as he eyed Merle suspiciously.

"The fuck does it look like, dumbass?" Merle grumbled and then he dropped Maggie's hand, just realizing he was holding it.

"Let's go." Carol said as she took his own hand and pulled him away.

"See ya later, Daryl." Maggie grinned at him.

They both hesitated in the doorway. The rain was coming down in sheets. There was no way they would make it to the house without getting drenched so they nodded and took off at a dead sprint. By the time they reached the porch they looked as though they had just been swimming. They wrung out their clothes as best they could and then went into the house and leaving a trail all the way to their room.

"Somethin' weird is goin' on with Merle." Daryl muttered as he stripped off his sodden shirt.

Carol just shrugged her slender shoulders and smiled. "Yeah, I saw that."

"No, not just that. He ain't actin' himself. Merle's been the same ever since we were kids. He's different somehow."

"Daryl, he's _been_ changing. You see how he is with Sophia. He's been keeping his mouth shut when you know all he wants to do is cuss everyone out and probably murder half the people in this group. He's changing. You've changed."

As soon as they got redressed someone knocked softly on the door.

"You know it ain't Merle." Daryl grumbled as he pulled the door open. Rick was standing there, a sheepish look on his face. His clothes were dry but his hair was a little damp. He must have gotten caught in the downpour too.

"Have you guys seen the kids?" He asked. "Andrea said one minute they were in the kitchen and the next minute they were gone. With them you just never know."

Daryl took the stairs to go check Beth's room while Rick and Carol made their way to the room Sophia shared with Merle.

~H~

"You're a quick learner." Sophia said as she watched Duane. And it was true. She was impressed.

"Too bad I still don't know how to shoot it." He muttered.

"That's the easy part." Carl grinned. "You aim. You shoot."

Sophia nodded solemnly. "That's right. Merle says the most important thing is becoming familiar with your piece."

Carl joined in. "He said a gun is like a woman. If you show it enough attention it'll end up doing all the work for you. Whatever that means."

Carl had just put his gun back in the back of his pants when the door opened. Duane quickly tucked his away as well but Sophia's was still taken apart on the floor.

"What the hell?" Rick stopped in his tracks and looked down. Carol collided with his back.

"Hi Rick." Sophia beamed.

"What's going on here?" Rick asked, clearly stunned as Sophia quickly put the pieces back together, slammed in the clip, pushed down the safety and tucked the gun into the back where it belonged.

"Just showing the boys how to properly clean a gun." She said with a shrug.

Rick shot a look to Carol who was now standing next to him. Carol just smiled. "Daryl and Merle." She shrugged.

"But they're just kids. He lets her carry a gun on her?"

Sophia nodded. "And the world isn't what it used to be Rick. Maybe you should take Daryl's lead. Duane and Carl should be able to protect themselves too. I shouldn't have to be the one to save them if we ever find ourselves in a bind." She gave him her sweetest smile.

From the corner of her eye she saw the look on her moms face. Her mom knew very well that Carl had his own gun. And she could tell that her mom knew she was engaging in a little manipulation. But she didn't have a choice. If they didn't have secrets to begin with then they could stop sneaking around. Daryl came in then.

She watched as Rick faced the other man, a questioning look on his face. "You let her carry a gun?"

Daryl nodded. "Girl needs to be able to protect herself." His eyes met hers and he winked. "You ready to eat?"

She looked at him gratefully and then took his hand. He yanked her up off the floor and then looked back at Rick. "Man, the world ain't what it was. Might wanna think about lettin' these boys carry their own." He put his hands on Sophia's shoulders and gave them a light squeeze. "I don't think it's right that she'd be the one to have to save their asses if they found themselves in another bind."

Rick and Carol shared a look. Daryl didn't know that Sophia had pretty much said exactly the same thing to Rick a moment before. She felt proud of herself and she didn't even know why.

Rick nodded. "You two are right. Tomorrow you boys can learn the basics. Then we'll practice shooting."

Sophia shook her head. "I just showed them the basics Rick. Go straight to the shooting part."

~H~

Daryl was glad to see that this wasn't going to be another one of those awkward dinners where everyone sat together and tried to pretend that they weren't the oddest group of people probably left in the world. Him and Sophia opted for the couch. They ate in silence for while and then Sophia finally broke it.

"You gonna be in the barn with T-dog tonight?" She asked, a little too casually.

He nodded.

"You think maybe I can come too?"

He didn't even have to think about it. "No." He said firmly.

"Because?" She eyed him.

He gazed at her for a few minutes. "Because I said so." He hid a smile and watched her face grow outraged. He was ready for her to fight him on the issue but she finally regained her composure and then nodded. This caused him to frown.

"What?" She asked when she glanced up at him.

"You're just gonna let me get away with that?" he asked as he studied her face carefully.

She shrugged. "You said no more fits. I guess I'll leave the fit throwing to you and Merle."

He narrowed his eyes. He didn't believe for a second that she was going to let it go but as they ate in silence he had to change his mind. She was taking it all in stride. He was proud of her.

"But just so you know, I never expected you, the man that you are, to used the phrase, 'because I said so.'" She rolled her eyes and stood up and took his own empty plate.

"You know why I don't want you out there. It ain't safe." He grumbled.

"No one is safe anymore, Daryl." She said quietly and then turned on her heal.

He watched her walk away. The nonchalant way she had uttered those last words had his stomach swirling painfully. It was much too close to the way he had felt when he had been young. Never safe. And he had accepted that with the same stoic attitude that she was. Like that was just the way things were. He didn't want that for her. But he didn't know what to do about it. Not in this world.

What would it have been like if the world had never ended and he had met them under less dire circumstances? He shook his head. That would have never happened. He found himself thankful every day that the world had gone to shit. But then again he didn't want her to think that way. She needed to know that he would do anything in the world to keep her safe. Hell, Merle would do anything to keep her safe. And that was something

When she came back through she gave him a smile and was about to head off to her room but he motioned for her to come back to the couch. He wasn't sure what he was gonna say to her but he had to say something. He couldn't let go of what she had said to him.

"What?" She asked as she sat down on the couch next to him and leaned her head against his arm, tucking her legs under her.

In a great show of how far he had come about sharing his space he lifted his arm and draped it over her shoulders until her head was on his chest and she was tucked into his side."What'd ya mean by that?" he asked as he gazed down at the top of head. He felt her shrug.

"That's just how it is." She said simply.

He sighed. "I wish it wasn't. You know Merle and me, we wouldn't let shit happen to ya, right?"

She nodded. "You can't be with me all the time. You gave me a gun. I know how to use it. The boys know how to use theirs and we are always together. You have to stop worrying about everything so much. You and Merle both have broad shoulders, Daryl, but you can't carry the world on them." She picked up his hand and studied his busted knuckles.

"How the fuck did you get so goddamn smart?" he asked. Sometimes he couldn't believe how smart this kid was.

She shrugged. "I get most of it from mom. Ed was a moron. I think I might have picked the rest of it up from some bossy, overprotective redneck and his foul mouthed, antisocial brother."

He laughed. "Least I get a little credit."

She lifted her head off his chest and looked up at him with a grin. "Yeah, a little."

He let his face grow serious once more and her smile dropped. He leaned down until his forehead was pressed against hers. "I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I want you to know somethin', okay?"

"Okay." She said quietly.

The arm he had draped over her tightened. He kept his face dead serious. "Sophia, you're a total asshole."

She pulled her head back quickly, gave him a quick disbelieving look and then shoved his forehead back with the heel of her hand before she cracked up laughing. "Really, Daryl?"

He grinned at her and nodded.

"Well, _that_ is something I give _you _full credit for." She hopped up off the couch, still chuckling and shaking her head.

"Where you goin'?" He asked as she headed towards the stairs.

"To practice." She threw over her shoulder with a smirk.

"Practice what?" He frowned.

"Kissing Carl Grimes." She laughed and then dodged the pillow he threw at her.

He shook his head and then leaned back into the cushion. He looked up once more when he heard someone laughing. He grinned as he spotted Carol leaning against the door frame.

"What?" he asked.

She came into the room and picked up the pillow that he had thrown and then sat down next to him, curling up against his side just like Sophia had done. "That was about the cutest thing I've ever seen."

He could tell she was grinning.

"I ain't cute." he laughed.

"No, you're not. You're just flat out sexy. But the two of you are cute." She laughed and he could feel the heat from her breath seeping into his shirt.

He wanted her again and she must have felt it when his heart started pounding harder in his chest. How could he even be thinking about that right now with all the other things he had to worry. Securing the farm, the ever present threat of Walkers, men in the woods that could show up at any time. Not to mention that he had already done the very thing he wanted to do, not an hour and half ago in the barn. There really was something wrong with him.

"Merle and Maggie did a pretty good job of acting normal this evening." She said as she pulled her face away from his chest and looked up at him.

"If you're tryin' to turn me off, it's workin'. He grumbled as he removed his hand from her shirt.

"It's weird how they just seem to kind of...fit." She mused.

He huffed out a breath. "Somethin' ain't right with Merle."

Carol furrowed her brow. "And you just now figured this out?"

He scowled at her but she was unperturbed. She kissed him and laid her head back on his chest.


	60. Chapter 60

**And it begins. Hope you enjoy! **

Chapter Sixty

Daryl was instantly awake when he heard the soft tap at the door. He eased away from Carol, slipped his shirt on quickly and grabbed his boots and crossbow on his way out the door. T-dog was waiting for him in the hallway, knowing the light tap would wake him up he hadn't lingered by the door.

"You get any sleep, Dixon?" He asked as Daryl slipped his boots on.

Daryl stood up from tying his boots and frowned as he started buttoning up his shirt. T-dog nodded towards his chest. He glanced down. There were red marks from his chest all the way down, disappearing into the waistband of his jeans. He hurried up with the buttons.

T-dog shook his head. "It's always them real quiet ones that turn out to be the hellcats."

Daryl just grunted and took off towards the door. They were sticking to the plan, relieving Glen and Rick. He cursed under his breath as they stepped out onto the porch. It didn't look at though the rain had let up at all.

"Hope you can swim better'n you can ride a damn horse. Looks like we're gonna be doin' the fuckin' backstroke all the way out to the barn." He almost had to shout to be heard over the pounding rain.

"I don't like this, man. We wont be able to see or hear a damn thing." T-dog said nervously.

Daryl nodded. He felt the same way. This was making him uneasy and all he wanted to do was head back into the house and keep an eye on Carol and Sophia from inside. Out here it was going to be hard.

They both sprinted through the deluge. They both looked like drowned rats as they climbed the ladder to the loft. Rick and Glen both looked up when they saw them coming. They looked bored out of there minds and Daryl had to admit to himself that he was glad he was paired with T. Other than Rick, he was the one that Daryl got along with the most. It was funny how much things had changed.

"You sure this is worth our time?" T-dog asked. "Seems like we would be better off keeping watch from the porch."

"It's not as bad as it seems. From up here you can get a pretty good look out towards the woods where Randal and his pals came out. I figure if any of them show up they'll be comin' from the same direction." Rick said as he motioned towards the trees.

Rick and Glen stood up, both of them stretching as though they hadn't moved since first taking watch. Rick shoved his rifle into Daryl's hands and slapped him on the back on his way past. Daryl couldn't help but notice how tired he looked and wondered how much burden the man was carrying with him. Lori, Shane, Randal, Morgan. The list went on and on. He was trying to shoulder a lot and it was wearing him pretty thin from the looks of him. None of them had seen much of Lori since she found out Shane was dead.

They both sat down and made themselves as comfortable as possible while still retaining a decent view of the landscape around them. Rick had been right. They would be able to make out anyone or anything coming from the woods. As long as he was also right about them coming from that direction. Daryl kept his eyes sharp and strained through the rain as T-dog launched into some story about some girl he had dated all throughout high school. It made for good background noise and somehow helped keep him alert.

~H~

_Carol looked towards the closed barn doors, squinting against the sun. She thought that maybe Daryl was in there somewhere but for some reason she didn't want to go any closer. She would just stand here and wait for him._

_She felt a cold hand clamp down on her upper arm and she spun around, gasping. She knew the feel of that hand all too well so she wasn't as surprised as she might have been when she was staring up into the face of her dead husband. But he looked very much alive. Movement behind him caused her to look around him and Shane was approaching them, a cold look on his face._

_Ed gave her arm a rough shake. "What'd I tell ya bitch?" he hissed. "I always told ya that you couldn't get away from me. Didn't I tell ya that? No matter how far you go or who you find to protect ya, I'll always make my way back."_

_She jerked her arm out of his grip and glared at him. She was safe. Soon Daryl would come out of the barn and this time he would kill Ed for sure. As she backed up she saw the front of Ed's dirty white shirt grow dark with blood. When her eyes crept back up to his face he wasn't Ed anymore but the snarling Walker that they had found where Ed had been wrapped up to be buried._

_Shane finally made it to them and she couldn't help but feel relief at the sight of him. He wouldn't let Ed hurt her. He had been her friend. But he was still looking at her with that cold cold stare and then to her astonishment he threw a friendly arm over Ed's shoulder. _

_"You don't listen very well Carol. I told you. Nothing good would come out of you letting that girl spend any time with them Dixon's." He smirked and then motioned to something behind her. _

_She spun around to see what he was looking at, knowing she should never turn her back on them but not being able to help herself. The barn doors were swinging open and she had to stifle a scream as Sophia stumbled out. Or something that resembled Sophia. Her daughter whipped her head around and snarled at her. She stumbled back until she hit something solid. Arms came around her then but she wasn't afraid of them. She knew who was there, Daryl, but this time his presence did nothing to make her feel safe. Sophia was still walking towards her, eyes unseeing._

_Merle emerged from the barn then, rifle in his hand as Carl and Duane followed. All three were armed and wearing grim faces. She watched as Merle nodded to the boys and they opened fire on her little girl. _

_Carol couldn't watch. She spun around in Daryl's arms and tried to hide her face but he dropped his arms from around her, opened his mouth and small stream of blood dribbled out before he crumpled to the ground at her feet. Shane and Ed were gone. Replaced by Lori who had an arm wrapped around her midsection that was grotesque looking in its size. Lori pointed behind Carols head so she turned around again to face the barn. Merle and both boys were lying dead on the ground much like Daryl was. _

_She was dreaming. She knew that it had to be a dream. _

_"Wake up." Someone said from behind her and she turned her head. Jim was walking towards her. "Wake up, Carol." He said again right before he vanished. Carol backed up a few feet. She should have woken up by now. Had she died and gone to Hell? Surely not. She took a deep breath and let out the loudest scream she could muster so she could wake herself up and escape this hell._

She sat straight up in bed, the scream that had seemed loud in the nightmare was stuck in her throat, choking her. She was covered in sweat and the sheet was tangled around her. Why hadn't Daryl woken her up? She had obviously been moving around a lot so he would have had to have known she was having a nightmare.

She reached for him in the dark room but his side of the bed was cold. Panic seized her as she remembered, quite vividly, his body crumple to the ground. She fought her way out of the tangle of sheets and stood up. Suddenly, with a loud exhale, she remembered that he was on watch. He was fine. He was out there in the barn.

She needed him here. Her heart was still hammering in her chest and her whole body trembled with the horror of the dream. All she could think about was how much better she would feel if his arms were around her at the moment. Feeling his breath on her neck and knowing he was there and he was alive. She had a dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach and she tried telling herself that it was just remnants of the nightmare still clinging to her but she wasn't so sure that was true.

She knew how furious he would be at her but she didn't care. She turned on the bedside lamp and was about to strip out of his T-shirt, which was what she happened to grab and slip on right before she went to sleep, but then stopped. It still smelled like him. She grabbed her jeans off the floor and pulled them on quickly, yanked on her boots and then tucked her gun into the waistband of her jeans. Without even turning off the light she slipped out of the room, out the front door and into the rain. She had to get to Daryl.

~H~

Sophia kept glancing towards the bedroom door nervously. She had seen Merle get up and checked the windows to make sure they were locked. She was afraid he would be able to tell that she wasn't asleep, especially when he took an extra blanket off the foot of his bed and threw it over her. He had stood over her for a second, sighed loudly, and then brushed some of her hair back off of her forehead. Then he had quietly left the room, carrying his heavy boots out with him.

She had sat up, staring towards the door but he had never came back. Now she wasn't so sure that Duane's plan would work very well. Not with a two Dixon's on watch.

Duane was desperate to get his dad back and even though Carl and Sophia were pretty certain the man was dead, neither one of them would tell their friend that. So he had decided that he was going to go talk to Randal himself. Sophia tried to talk him out of it but the boy was stubborn. So she did the only thing that she could think of to help. She decided to go with him. Carl was livid, throwing himself a Dixon worthy tantrum but when she refused to let Duane go out there alone he finally just decided to go with them. All day long their had been eyes on the shed where Randal was being held so they came up with a plan to go to the guy at night. And if everything went accordingly then no one would be the wiser. She hoped.

Rick hadn't been able to get much out of the guy. He just kept saying that he must not have been with them when they came upon Morgan and Duane in the woods. Duane couldn't remember seeing Randal there but as soon as things turned ugly Morgan had told him to run and so he ran. Randal could have been there and Duane had just not noticed him in all of the chaos.

But with Merle creeping around it was going to be really hard to get out there. But she had to try so she got up from the couch and crept to the door. She put her ear to it but heard nothing on the side. She slipped out and went to the kitchen where the boys were suppose to meet her. They were there. Carl looked nervous and Duane looked determined and then they both looked relieved she showed up.

"Did you guys see Merle?" She whispered.

They both shook their heads and frowned. Carl was the one that spoke up. "If he finds us he'll kill me."

Sophia just shook her head. "Better Merle than Daryl. If Merle finds us we have a chance. I can probably sweet talk him. But if it's Daryl we're all dead meat."

"Great. That makes me feel a lot better about doing this." Carl mumbled under his breath.

Sophia glared at him. "Then stay here." She hissed.

"I ain't letting you go out there to talk to that psycho alone." He crossed his arms in front of him and stared her down.

She didn't argue with him. He was probably just trying to start a fight so they could stall, which would end up getting them all three busted. Instead she pushed past him, eased the door open as quietly as she could and slipped out. They followed her and then they all paused.

"Did you get the key?" Sophia asked a still petulant Carl.

He nodded and then pulled the key to the padlock out of his pocket, pressing it into her palm.

She took a deep breath. "You both armed?"

The boys nodded and, although this whole thing was Duane's idea she was the one that led them into the rain towards Randal's makeshift jail. They ran towards the shed, hurrying around the side where the door was.

Sophia stopped so fast that Carl slammed into her, still running, and had to catch her around the waist before she went sprawling into the mud.

"What are you doing?" He said as he dropped his hands and then she looked back at him with wide eyes and pointed. Even through the darkness and the rain she saw his face face grow even more pale.

The shed door was hanging open, looking like an angry gaping mouth, mocking them.

"What do we do?" Carl asked in a voice filled with fear.

Sophia didn't have to think too hard about it. "We go get Daryl." She said over her shoulder, they were already running towards the barn.


	61. Chapter 61

**I really love writing this story. Writing is a stress reliever for me. With that said, I'm still not exactly sure where this story is going. I could end it in a week or I can keep going with it for longer than that. I'm unsure what to do. Someone suggested that the length of this story was too much and it should have been broken down into different stories. I never really thought of that since this story simply unfolds while I am writing it. This thing is writing the hell out of itself! But I really would like to know what you all would like me to do. Should I end it and move on or is it worth sticking too? I like longer stories so it never occurred to me that the length of it may drive some people to stop reading it. If no one is reading then there really isn't any sense in writing ;) So any suggestions would be VERY appreciated! And I know that some people hate the thought of Merle and Maggie but Glen and Maggie, although I love them, bore the hell out of me and Beth wasn't strong enough to deal with THIS Merle.**

Chapter Sixty One

Merle paced around the empty stall. He didn't know why he was doing this. He wasn't going to touch that girl anymore. It was the only goddamn thing he thought about all day long. He often found himself thinking about getting laid. He was Merle. But he had never in his life been so consumed thinking about any certain person. And when he thought about the crazy girl he didn't even really think about screwing her. He just thought about her. And it made him half sick. Stupid girl. He shook his head angrily.

So why had he agreed to meet her out here in the first place? Like some kid that had to hide from her daddy? Which is exactly what this was. Hiding out so they could mess around. He shook his head again. Messing around. Jesus, how fucked up was that? But he had agreed anyway, against his better judgment. But she was late. He'd been out there for a while now and he never seen a sign of her.

Maybe she had time to think about it and decided that she couldn't mess with some basket case like him. This thought sent a jolt of fear through him that pissed him off. Who gave a fuck whether that girl was going to continue all her bullshit pestering? But he knew that he did care. Cared a lot more than he wanted to admit.

He finally decided to leave the stall and go off to the other side of the barn to talk to his brother. He knew him and T-dog were in the loft, keeping watch on those woods. Not that it would do much good. He didn't think either of them would have been able to see anyone through all this rain in the first place. It was a waste of time as far as Merle was concerned. Maybe that was why Rick didn't bother to ask him if he wanted to take watch. Hell, he would have just went to sleep. No sense in bothering to keep watch for something that you couldn't see.

Climbing the ladder one handed was pretty tricky but he made it. He was getting better with just the one hand. Or getting used to it anyway.

Daryl and T-dog were both sitting in the open loft doors. Both scanning the grounds below them. He could hear T-dog rambling on about something but he couldn't make out what the man was saying because of the rain on the roof. As soon as he took a step towards them Daryl had the crossbow trained on him. He smirked. His brother was damn good.

Daryl lowered the crossbow and sat it back down next to him, giving Merle a nod before turning his attention back to the rain. He took a seat between the two men, letting his long legs hang over the ledge.

"What are you doin' up this late?" Daryl asked suspiciously.

Merle just shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"Sophia?" Daryl asked, keeping his eyes on the rain.

"Sleepin'. I checked the windows before I came out."

Daryl just nodded and fell into silence once again, the only sound being that of the rain on the tin roof. It was nearly deafening.

~H~

Carol wanted to race to the barn but it was so muddy that she would have ended up busting her ass so she walked. She was getting soaked but the rain made her feel more clean after that nightmare. She had been covered in sweat and she could feel the fresh water washing it away. Along with most of the lingering fear. She still had that overwhelming urge to see him though so she kept going. He would be furious, probably throw a tantrum but it would be worth it and she knew he would get over it quickly.

She thought she saw something from the corner of her eye by one of the outbuildings but when she turned her head there wasn't anything there. Her heartbeat picked up and she stopped in her tracks. She had been sure she saw something moving. She realized then that she was about halfway between the house and the barn. She was about to draw her gun when she felt an arm go around her neck and another around her torso.

She tried to scream but a hand clamped down firmly over her mouth. This wasn't like the other night when Daryl had came up behind her. This was a strangers touch. Whoever it was was pretty tall. She felt someones chest behind her head. This was not good. Not at all.

The man began dragging her towards the building where she had thought she had seen someone to begin with and sure enough as soon as he moved her behind it there were two more men standing there. And one of them had Maggie in much the same position as her own captor had her. But there was a gun pressed against her head.

If she could just get to her gun then they would at least have a fighting chance.

"Two? How the hell did we get so lucky?" The man behind her laughed. There was that accent again. "You seem to have a pretty dangerous group from what Randal here tells us." The man sneered. "One of your men killed my brother."

Maggie's wide eyes stayed glued to hers as the man spoke.

It was then that Carol noticed Randal standing off to the side, looking down. She would have thought he would look a lot happier to see his group but he seemed just as nervous as he had the last time she had seen him.

The man that was holding Maggie smiled bitterly. He looked a little familiar and then she realized this must be another brother to Dave. She tried to calm herself down but she couldn't stop wondering how many people from this group were here and where the rest of them were.

Maggie's captor glared at her. "Let's get these bitches to the barn. Let those men of theirs find what's left of'em in the morning."

Maggie's eyes locked onto Carol's. These men didn't know that there were already men in the barn. Maggie didn't look relieved. Carol didn't feel relieved either. Daryl and T could be killed.

Another man came around the corner of the building and stopped in his tracks when he saw what his companions had. He grinned and took in both women with hungry eyes. Carol felt sick, like she might vomit right into the hand that the man still had clamped over her mouth.

~H~

Merle finally had had enough. He was ready to go back in. Maggie was a no show and his brother was boring him to death. He stood up then with a sigh. "You two are about the most borin' mother fucker's I've ever had the displeasure of comin' across." he grumbled.

Daryl chuclked. "Where you goin'?"

"To bed. I've had enough excitement for one night, with ya'lls intrancin' conversations and all."

Daryl stood up too. "I gotta take a piss. It'd be best if I went down first, that away somebody would be down there to catch your big ass if you fall."

Merle snorted. "Best watch it, boy. I might just fall on purpose. Bring a whole new meanin' to the phrase 'stompin' yer ass'."

They made their way down but as Merle went to head outside Daryl stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, man. What the fucks wrong with you?" He asked.

"Don't know what you're talkin' bout, baby brother." Merle said but he wasn't looking at him.

"Somethin' is up. Not just this Maggie thing either, which, by the way, is completely fuckin' stupid."

Merle finally looked at him. Daryl actually looked like he was concerned. But Merle didn't need him nagging him about shit. He was just fine. And he already knew that what he was doing with Maggie was beyond stupid but he didn't need his brother on his case. There was nothing to be done about that one. "Ain't you got your hands full enough, boy? You got your own shit to concern you. Maybe you can get the fuck outta my business and off my back. Goddamn."

Daryl just glared at him for a second and then he shrugged his shoulder. "Fine." He growled as he turned away and headed for the front entrance to the barn. Merle didn't even want to look at him anymore so he turned towards the back door at the end of the isle. He was thinking about stopping by that stall one more time just to see if she had showed up but he forced himself to walk out of the barn. Screw that girl.

~H~

Sophia was running as hard as she could. No sooner did they get past the house they saw some guy come out of nowhere and grab her mom. They had just ducked behind another shed when another man stormed past. Had it not been for the rain they would have definitely been spotted. Carl and Duane were breathing heavily, eyes wide and frightened. She was pretty damn scared herself. This must have been what everyone was so afraid of. The men from the other group were finally here and they had no idea how many they were dealing with or how armed they were.

She had motioned for them to follow her. If she could get to the barn before those men took off with her mom then Daryl could save her. He would never be able to track anyone in rain this heavy so they had to keep going.

They had followed the man that had passed right by them until he ducked behind the chicken coop. They pressed their backs flat against the wood and then Sophia crouched low and peered around the corner. She took in the situation as fast as she could and then pulled her head back around and drew her gun. They didn't just have her mom. They had Maggie too. Did that mean that they had made it inside? And if they did was everyone dead?

She listened as hard as she could and heard one of the men talking about taking her mom and Maggie to the barn. That was where Daryl was and she knew she had to get there before those men did so she could warn him. If he knew they were coming then maybe him and T-dog could stop all this. She had faith in herself as far as the gun was concerned but she was kid and this was too big for her. Even with Carl and Duane. It was too big for all of them.

She motioned for them to run further out so they all took off and circled away from the chicken coop and made a beeline for the barn. Both boys were right on her heels. They were almost there. The service door at the back of the barn was in site and the door opened and someone came out. Sophia smacked right into the man followed by Carl and Duane.

"Mother fucker!" Merle yelled.

As soon as Sophia heard his raspy voice she pulled away and tried to catch her breath. The gun was shaking in her hands. Merle instantly knelt down and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Whats happened?" He asked with wide eyes.

"Men. Randal's gone. Men got mom and Maggie!" She panted. "There bringing them to the barn to hurt them."

Merle's face turned into a mask of fury that was so intense that Sophia backed up until she felt Carl behind her. He stood up and looked at the three of them.

"We have to get Daryl." Sophia hissed.

Merle's face got even scarier. "He's out there." he growled.

Sophia felt her knees go weak with this bit of new and Carl must had sensed it to because his arm went around her to hold her up.

Daryl was out there and those men were coming. They had guns and they were pissed. They were going to end up killing him before he could save her mom. Carl's grip tightened around her. She was going to lose everything. She was going to lose it before she had even had a chance to enjoy it. Suddenly she was filled with more anger than she had ever felt before. The whole world seemed to turn red and with that anger she felt a surge of hate so pure that it would have scared her if it wasn't for the fact that she needed it. She needed this.

She pulled out of Carl's grip and, with gun in hand, stormed past Merle and around the side of the barn. Merle grabbed her from behind and lifted her up off the ground. His angry voice was in her ear. "Not yet. You jump out there with that gun and you'll get everybody killed. I need you, you understand me?"

His voice penetrated her rage enough for her to stop fighting and listen to him. He put her down and spun her around. "I'm gonna go have a look and see what we are dealin' with, you understand?"

She nodded.

"You get your ass in that barn and get to that tack room. There's a rifle in there. You get it and then you get your ass right back around here, you got it? You go in low, take Carl with you, keep your gun drawn and your eyes open."

She nodded, grabbed Carl's hand and took off.

~H~

Daryl had barely gotten his dick back in his pants before he felt something cold press against the back of his head. He knew it was a gun. Thanks to Merle and his ability to piss people off this wasn't the first gun he felt to his head.

"Slip that bow off boy before I paint the grass with your brains." A voice as cold as the gun barrel said from behind him.

He slipped the strap over his head slowly. He had walked past the barn and around the other side so he knew he wasn't in view of T-dog and if this man stayed close enough to the barn entrance then T wouldn't have seen him coming up behind. Merle had gone out the back so he knew he was pretty much fucked.

"Turn yourself around there boy." The man said.

Why the fuck did everybody call him that? He turned around and then cursed. There was Carol and Maggie a few feet away, and Carol was being held by the biggest mother fucker that Daryl had ever seen in his life. The guy had to have been pushing seven feet tall. And he wasn't just tall either. He was fucking huge. And he had one long thick arm wrapped around her small frame. A hand was clamped down over her mouth. A hand so big it could have easily covered her entire face.

If these men had Carol and Maggie then they had been in the house. Where the hell were the others? Had they killed them all? He legs grew a little unsteady. Sophia was in the house. Why hadn't they brought her out with Maggie and Carol?

Another man was standing with the big guy and after squinting through the rain he realized it was Randal. The kid was looking at the ground but he knew it was him.

"Randal!" The guy with the gun hissed. "Is this the mother fucker that killed my brother?"

Oh fuck. The guy was going to blow his brains out right in front of her. His eyes met hers for a second and she looked terrified. He looked away towards Randal. The boy was squinting at him through the rain and Daryl waited for him to give the guy the answer he must be waiting for but then Randal shook his head.

Daryl frowned. What the fuck was this kid doing? Daryl hadn't been nice to him. Then he noticed how nervous the kid still looked. Maybe he was telling the truth when he had told them that he wasn't like the rest of the group.

Another man that Daryl hadn't noticed sidled up to Randal and threw an arm over his shoulder. "So, what are we gonna do now? Fuck him too? Thought we were gonna take these bitches to the barn and take'em for a ride? Chuck called dibs on that bitch so we gotta share this one here." he reached out and ran a hand down Maggie's face, "Cause ya'll know when Chuck gets done, nobody else can feel a thing." He laughed like he had just told a great joke.

Daryl's eyes widened when he realized who Chuck was. The giant asshole that already had a hold of her. That wasn't going to happen. He would chew the big bastards throat out first.

The guy that still had his gun trained on Daryl smiled. "Not right now boys. We don't know how many people they have here. Let's get them to camp. I want this asshole to get to watch."


	62. Chapter 62

**Axelrocks, HGRHfan35, XJitenshaX, Yazzy x, Tinkerbell99, halodoll89, pippiesuede, Brooklyn'sRoisinDubh, rlmn, Escapingreality007, itsi3, BLulcy, melissa. , and AmberQueen... HUGE thank you for all of your awesome words! You guys kick so much ass that I cannot even articulate how much ass you actually kick ;) I'm just going to keep going so I hope you enjoy the ride. I appreciate everyone that reviews and follows and favorites this story. The next few chapters are a bit busy, for lack of a better word, but I hope you like them. Have a great morning!**

Chapter Sixty Two

Carol couldn't believe they had gotten Daryl too. She had been afraid before but knew that nothing would happen to her as long as Daryl was out there trying to find her. But now she didn't only have Maggie to worry about, she had _him_ to worry about. The way those men were talking this was going to end badly for all of them. But it would be worse for him. She certainly wasn't looking forward to go through something like a rape and then surely an unpleasant death but she would take both gladly if it would spare her from seeing him tortured. But he would have to watch whatever it was these men had planned for them and that scared her for him more than it did herself. She was so thankful in that moment that Sophia was asleep in a room with Merle Dixon. Regardless of that mans faults, and he had plenty, he would die for that girl. He loved her and he would protect her at all cost. So no matter what happened to her and Daryl tonight, Sophia would always be looked after.

She moved her head enough so she could see Maggie. She looked dazed. Like she wasn't understanding what was happening to them.

"Let's head out." The man with the gun on Daryl spoke up. "You walk on ahead of us there, Robin Hood. You look like the type that's dumb enough to die trying to save your ladies there."

Daryl caught her eye one more time before turning around and walked towards the woods. She still had her gun and as long as they didn't pat them down or anything there was still a chance that they could get out of this. She couldn't help but notice how the other man had to give Randal a shove to get him moving. She didn't understand what his problem could be. These were his people. He should have been ecstatic about leaving the farm alive. And why had he lied about Daryl not being the one that killed Dave? The boy had been right there when it happened. He had watched Daryl kill the man.

The man that had a hold of Carol started walking, forcing her to walk along in front of him. She kept Daryl in her sights. She could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he walked along a little bit in front of the man. The rain wasn't hitting them as hard once they had gotten under the cover of the trees. One thing that kept her spirits up a little was the fact that T-dog would start to wonder where Daryl was and the others would be warned sooner rather than later once Daryl never showed back up in the loft.

They would be looking for them soon as long as these were the only men that was at the farm. And they had Merle. This was Merle's specialty. And she hoped that once they were found he was planning on seeking bloody vengeance. She wanted every one of these men to die. And not quickly either.

~H~

Merle ghosted through the woods with Sophia close to his heels, both boys trailing no more than a foot behind him. He had to admit that these kids had some fucking grit. They listened to everything he said. Didn't argue and didn't ask questions. Sophia, being the smartest kid he'd ever known, grabbed two rifles from the tack room. She figured Maggie or Carol could use it once they got them away from those men. Duane had wordlessly picked up Daryl's abandoned crossbow and slipped the strap over his head. Daryl would need it once they got him.

Although the woods were darker than the openness of the farm the rain wasn't hard anymore. The canopy above them caught most of that moisture, making it possible to see enough that they could follow the group.

Merle put a hand on Sophia's shoulder to stop her as the group ahead of them stopped. One of the men went off into the brush, apparently to relieve himself. Sophia was the one having the hardest time keeping her trigger finger in check. She wanted to open fire on all of them. And after what he could make out of the mens conversation earlier, he would let her kill a few but there were a couple he wanted all for himself. And he wanted to take his time. It had taken him less than a minute to convince her that if they started firing on the men now, chances were they were going to kill at least one of their three hostages.

So Sophia had nodded. Saying no more, only listening. The boys were crouched right behind them and they too waited silently, guns drawn, eyes wide and watchful.

When the man joined the others again they once more started heading deeper into the woods. He knew how pissed off Daryl was going to be for bringing these kids with him but he hadn't had a choice. They could shoot, they were armed and Sophia wouldn't have listened to him anyway and them boys would have followed the girl into the pits of hell. At least this way they could help him out and he could keep an eye on them.

He hadn't had time to run back to the house for help. If he did that then he wouldn't have ever been able to track them and he wasn't going to lose his brother or Carol. And he wasn't going to lose Maggie either although he hated to admit that, even to himself. Especially to himself.

They continued on like that for a while and Merle was trying to devise some kind of strategy. They couldn't just run into camp raising hell and shooting up the place. That would get them all killed. But he also knew what those men had plans for Maggie and Carol and _that_ shit wasn't going to happen. He supposed that the one that was holding onto Carol was Chuck and he was just about the biggest mother fucker that Merle had ever seen. And the man wanted his brother's woman. Merle grimaced because from the looks of the guy he would split Carol in half. While his brother watched. Merle was really going to try to save that bastard for last.

And then the others had mentioned sharing Maggie since the big guy's leftovers weren't all that great? He wanted to puke and then he wanted to ram a tree limb up every one of those sons of bitches ass. Maggie hadn't ever been with a man. Not like that. And she sure as fuck wasn't going to have that taken from her by these sick fucks. They weren't going to touch her. They weren't going to touch either of them and when he was done with them they wouldn't get a chance to touch anybody.

After a while Merle could make out what looked like a few low burning fires. The rain had stopped.

"Home sweet home." Daryl's captive laughed.

Merle motioned for them to stop. He let the group get further ahead of them and then turned to the kids. "Ya'll gotta listen to me. You do exactly what I tell you to do, you understand?"

They all nodded gravely and waited for him to give them their orders. He would have laughed if he wasn't so worried that he would mess this up. His brother had been right. He had created himself some soldiers.

~H~

Daryl glanced around at the men milling around the camp and his heart sank. He had to focus to chase away the first thought that went through his mind, which was, there wasn't going to be any way out of this. The only hope he had to cling too was the fact that T-dog would run for help after he realized something was wrong.

When they broke through the trees into the small clearing several heads turned to look at them. Some of the men cheered and cat called when they saw what their comrades had brought with them. Jesus, this was going to be bad. Most of the men looked dangerous. Daryl had spent a lot of time around men like this. Merle's people. But these men were even worse than what Merle's friends had been. Dangerous on a different level.

He turned around when the man told him too. He was glaring and nearly shaking with the force of his anger. He couldn't let this happen to them. He had to keep himself calm enough to figure out what the fuck he was going to do. He had no weapons, they were completely outnumbered, and the way the men were looking at the women was really starting to make him sick. He had to hold onto the the faith that his brother was warned in time and was now looking for them. He had too. No matter what kind of person Merle was he had always went out of his way to protect Daryl. And he sure as hell wouldn't stop now. He had to believe that Merle would find them and if anyone could get them out of this mess it was him. These men were dangerous but Merle was something else. Something that these men didn't have a chance against.

"You look pretty pissed off there. What's your name, boy?" The man with the gun asked. He was obviously younger than Daryl was so the fact that he was still calling him 'boy' was really starting to piss him off. But Daryl kept his mouth shut.

The man just shrugged and turned him around roughly, walking him towards the trees. Was he going to take him to the woods and shoot him? If there wasn't a way out of this then Daryl welcomed it. He would rather take a bullet to the brain than watch Carol get tortured and then killed. That was a fate much worse than death.

The man stopped him and forced him to turn around once more. Someone brought him a length of rope but Daryl was barely paying attention. He was looking past the man towards the rest of them. The huge guy that had been holding on to Carol had finally let loose of her enough so she could turn to face him. Daryl watched as fear finally sank into her features. And then he noticed how her hand was moving slowly towards her back.

Oh Jesus, no. If she had her gun on her and from what he could see that was exactly what she was going for, they would kill them all for sure before he could figure out a way to get them out of this mess. She kept her eyes trained on the grinning man in front of her. It wasn't bad enough that he had to be so big, but he also was terrifying in appearance. At least he was to people that weren't used to men like that.

He had jet black hair that fell straight, past his shoulders. A goatee and mustache that you would picture the devil himself sporting. But all that aside, his eyes were what really made Daryl's skin crawl and was probably filling Carol with so much terror that she didn't feel as though she had a choice but to draw her gun, knowing death would follow soon.

His eyes were dark, no discerning the iris from the pupil and he didn't just look like your typical mean asshole. This guy was something else entirely. He looked flat out evil. And all you had to do was look at that face, the strange gleam in his eyes, to know that he was looking forward to causing her a world of hurt. Much worse than anything they had expected.

Her hand was almost there, at the small of her back when the man grabbed her by the arm and yanked her forwards. He reached around her and grinned, ultra white teeth flashing in the light of the small fire they stood in front of.

The man removed the gun from behind her and casually tucked into the front of his pants. Daryl was shoved against a tree then but he still didn't even look at the man that was now tying his hands behind his back and then wrapping the rope around the tree itself, securing him there. Without another word the man walked away. Leaving Daryl to stand there.

Maggie wasn't in much better shape. The man that had kept a hold of her was laughing viciously with his buddies but to Daryl's surprise, Maggie didn't look afraid anymore. Her chin was up, it trembled slightly but she wasn't cowering. She was glaring at the men, resolve written plain as day on her face. Like she knew her fate and was going to face it bravely, not begging or sobbing.

Carol too seemed to be accepting. She didn't cower from the man the way he had seen her do with Ed a hundred times at the quarry. She looked fearful, anyone with a brain would have been fearful, terrified, but she held herself with a poise that screamed strength. Even in the face of that wicket looking son of a bitch. His woman was strong. A fighter now. And it wasn't going to do any of them any good. If he didn't do something soon then they were all dead.

He strained against the ropes that secured him to the tree while no one was looking. The man reached out a hand and touched Carol's face. From Daryl's view it looked as though the guy was barely touching her at all. But that was touching her too much as far as he was concerned. He lunged against the ropes but it was no use. He had to get her away from that man, he didn't care if it killed them all. He wasn't going to touch her. The man could have broken her neck in one hand by now if he wanted too.

Daryl's heart was hammering so hard in his chest that he thought it would surely explode before he could get them out of here. He needed to get away. He needed to get the women away. He felt desperately alone. He needed his brother.


	63. Chapter 63

**You guys hate me for these cliffhangers, I already know! You'll be happy to know that this is NOT another one. Not really. Thank you for reading and reviewing! Have a great weekend =)**

Chapter Sixty Three

Sophia watched Merle. She refused to look at the man that had her mom. Merle had started cussing under his breath when he saw her mom reaching behind her for her gun but the man was watching her too and he took the gun himself and then smiled. It had turned Sophia's blood to ice. So she kept her eyes on Merle and waited for him to give her a signal. She was ready to do whatever she had to do to get the three of them away from the group that was surely planning on killing them all. She didn't know why they hadn't killed them yet but she was glad for whatever the reason could be.

They were all crouched there in the trees waiting for Merle to make a move and then finally he moved back, they all moved to make room for him. Fanning out and keeping low.

"I need one of you boys in this tree here. Which one is doin' the volunteerin'?"

Both boys stepped forwards and Merle looked at them both and nodded. "Carl, you got extra clips for your gun, right?" He whispered.

Carl nodded and patted his pockets. "Just one."

"Get up on my shoulders, grab the lowest branch you can and pull yourself up. You'll be able to see us from up there. You understand?"

Carl nodded.

"Good boy. When I give the signal you start blowin' these mother fucker's brains out. Try to get rid of the ones closest to our women. You gotta try and make every shot count. You followin' me, kid? Keep your eyes on me. Nothin' else until I let you know it's time. You got the balls for this job or do I need to send Sophia up there?"

"I got this." Carl said then climbed up on Merle's shoulders.

Merle nodded to Sophia and Duane and motioned for them to follow. They scurried through the trees and then when they were about a quarter of the way around the camp Merle stopped and looked at Duane. Your turn. Hand over that crossbow."

Duane handed over the crossbow and then, to Sophia's surprise, Merle slipped it over her head. It was heavy but it was a burden she would gladly carry.

"Okay, kid. I don't know what kind of shot you are. You keep watch and you listen. When Carl starts shooting you start shooting, you got it?"

Duane nodded. "Yes, sir."

"You might not wanna do it at first. it might make ya feel a bit sick to think of shootin' a livin' man. But that's the way of this world. When lives depend on you sometimes you gotta make tough calls, do things you never wanted to do. You gotta just try your best. You keep to the people on the outskirts, okay? Can't take no risk of one of our own getting' hit."

Duane narrowed his eyes. "These are the men that took my dad away from me. And now they're gonna try to kill some of the only people I got left in the world. I don't believe I'm going to have as much trouble with this as you think." He rushed up the tree when Merle gave him a boost.

"And then there was two." Merle gave her a weak smile as he leaned down and gripped her should. "I'm gonna be right over there, directly across from Carl, okay?"

"Where am I suppose to be?" She was going to be super pissed if he told her to go hide somewhere while him and the boys did all the work. That was not going to happen. It was her mom in there and it was her... well, whatever the hell Daryl was to her. And she was going to fight just as hard as the rest of them to get them out of this mess.

Merle handed her a knife. She took it and then looked at him questioningly. He gripped her shoulder harder. "You go to that tree. You be as quiet as you can and you cut those ropes. Get him loose and then when he's free this camp will be surrounded by the four of us. They wont expect no one in the trees. As soon as Daryl is free you keep your ass behind Daryl. You see any of us fall you keep your mouth shut and you keep your eyes dry, you understand me, girl? If Daryl goes down you get your ass out of here. You leave and you find the farm."

She ground her teeth together. "I'm not going to leave you."

He put his face inches from hers, his eyes tight and narrowed. "You will run. Or we leave now."

She glared at him but then finally she nodded and stepped back. "Why is it okay for Carl and Duane to help and not me?"

He blew out a frustrated breath but then he cupped her face in his large hand. "Because killin' a man ain't something I want you to ever have to do unless there ain't no other choice. It changes ya, darlin'. And you don't need to change."

She nodded, not sure how she felt about his words. Now she just needed to get to Daryl, so with the heavy bow bouncing against the backs of her legs she planted a light kiss on Merle's forehead and took off as fast as she could while still keeping quiet.

~H~

Carol was finding it difficult to catch her breath. She tried to not look up at the mans face but after he had taken her gun from her he touched her. His hands were dry and cold. It felt like having her face caressed by a corpse. Her eyes flashed to her right and there was Daryl tied up to a tree, looking as though he were about to chew through the bark. He jerked against the restraints and then the man tilted her head up. He was grinning and she felt like her blood had been replaced with ice water in her veins.

He had a handsome face as far as faces went. And that is where the pleasantness stopped. His eyes were what bothered her the most. His irises such a dark brown that they nearly blended right into his pupils. But that wasn't what was so bad. It was the look in those eyes that had her wanting to flee. She had only gotten a glimpse when he had taken the gun and had averted her eyes from his almost instantly. She didn't want to look at him.

But now he was forcing her to look. Knowing that looking at him was frightening. He liked it. And that was the thing that she saw in his eyes that had made her look away. The look was just cruel, unhinged. He was going to hurt her and he was going to love it. And Daryl was going to be forced to watch it happen.

His other hand came up and he stroked the other side of her face. Jesus Christ, would he snap her neck right there? Could she be that lucky? But he just stood there for a while. Grinning. Until she felt her hands slide from her face to her throat. She swallowed hard as he kept his dark eyes trained on hers. His fingers lingered by her throat and she waited for him to be finished toying with her.

~H~

Daryl saw the mans hands slip down to Carols neck and then linger there. He growled and lunged harder against the ropes. The other men were arguing over who was going to get Maggie first so at least he still had time to get himself loose. He was still worried about those giant hands on Carol's neck though. He thought about the bruises that were finally almost gone that Ed had left there. This was no Ed and it wouldn't take much for him to kill her.

He stopped struggling when he thought he heard something behind him. He strained his ears and then looked at the men around the camp. No one was looking his way. He spotted Randal sitting near one of the tents with his knees pulled up to his chest, rocking slightly back and forth.

He felt a slight tugging at his wrists and then the rope around the tree fell away. The relief he felt nearly brought him to his knees until he heard a small voice behind him.

"You're bow is behind this tree but make sure no one is looking before you make a grab for it. We don't need a bunch of chaos just yet."

"Sophia..." he breathed, unable to even grasp what this meant. Was she alone? Was anyone watching? He glanced around but a lot of the men now were gathering around the ones that were making a fuss over Maggie. A couple actually approached the man that had Carol but the man turned, snarling like a rabid dog, teeth flashing. those men backed away and kept their distance after that.

"Just keep calm and wait, okay. We got this." She whispered and her voice caused his heart to lurch and then throb painfully against his rib cage.

"Get the fuck outta here." he hissed. "You best hope I don't catch your ass when this is over. Cause your in so much fuckin' trouble right now."

She didn't say anything else. Hopefully she was running back to the farm but he doubted it. She told him not to do anything yet. She wasn't alone. But who the hell could have been with her? And then he knew. Fucking Merle. He would do something this goddamn stupid.

He kept his eyes on the man that still had Carol. His hands were now moving from her throat to her chest and he tensed, about to grab his bow and kill the huge bastard regardless of what Sophia had told him to do. But then suddenly a shot rang out and then two more followed it almost instantly and the man that had just been about to grope his woman was now falling on top of her. He reached behind the tree and grabbed the crossbow, raising it and putting an arrow right through the eye of the man that was now dragging Maggie off towards the tents. Maggie took off as soon at the guy fell forwards but another man caught her but dropped her just as fast as a bullet ripped through the side of his neck.

Daryl had no idea where the shots were even coming from until suddenly Merle stepped into view, balancing a rifle on the end of his wrist. The other men, after the initial shock had worn off started drawing their weapons. Others were running, maybe to retrieve their own.

Daryl ran right into the middle of it and started dragging the man off of Carol, who was crushed under his massive frame. He hoped he wasn't shot before he could get the man off of her but just as he managed to get her about halfway out she was able to get her hands free and help him. She seemed to be fine. He hoped so. She stood up and then suddenly Merle was there, shoving Maggie towards her.

"Go. NOW!" He roared over the gunshots. He pointed towards the very tree that Daryl had been tied too and both women took off.

Daryl glared at him from across the dead mans body and then he retrieved Carol's gun from the mans waistband then he took off, crossbow at the ready. He was pretty sure a lot of the men had headed for the trees. From the sounds of it Merle brought an army with him. Men were dropping like flies. Daryl couldn't believe neither of them had taken a hit yet and just as this crossed his mind he felt a weird pressure in his shoulder and then he stumbled back as though someone pushed him. That was exactly what it felt like.

"No!" Someone screamed and he turned his head just in time to see Sophia step out from behind the trees, Maggie and Carol both running after her. The girls face was furious as she raised her gun and fired until it was clicking in her hand. She ran to him, her grip on the gun still firm.

He hadn't realized that he had fallen down onto his ass until he was actually looking up at her. The camp was eerily silent now. "The fuck did I say to you, girl? You shoulda been half way to camp by now." he grumbled.

He looked down from her wide frightened eyes just as Merle and Carol dropped to the ground on either side of him. "Mother fuck." Merle grumbled and then that was when he finally felt it.

He looked at his shoulder, where he had felt the shove a few minutes ago and there was blood covering the front of his shirt. He felt kind of lucky. They all could have died and all he had was a pussy ass shoulder wound. He smirked.

"How could you be smiling?" Sophia hissed.

Merle leaned him forward roughly by the arm. "Hell, he's had a lot worse than this. Bullet just took a little off the top is all." He patted Daryl's back.

"We need to get something to stop the bleeding." Carol said as she expertly undid the buttons of his shirt so she could examine him. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized that there wasn't even a bullet hole. It had just grazed him, cutting through the muscle at the very top of his shoulder. But it was still deep and it was still bleeding freely.

"Where the hell is everybody else?" Daryl asked finally.

Merle turned and gave a whistle. He watched the treeline and then suddenly Randal came out, Duane following him closely with a gun pressed to his back. Carl was the next one to come.

"What the fuck are they doin' here?" Daryl almost yelled.

Merle sat back on his heels. "Didn't have a choice. I didn't know if there were more of these fuckers on the farm, couldn't send'em off alone. And if I hadn't followed when I did I never woulda known where they'd taken ya'll too. It was bring them with me or not come at all. And you heard what they said. You know what they was gonna do to them women."

Daryl wanted to be pissed off enough to flog his stupid ass but he couldn't. He wouldn't have known what to do in that situation either. "So it was them? They were droppin' those men like that?" Daryl asked in a voice that was filled with disbelief.

Merle nodded and stood up, pulling Daryl back up to his feet. "Boys had a job to do. They did it."

When he was finally standing up again he was almost knocked back down by Carol. She wrapped her arms around his neck, mindful of the nasty gash the bullet left. He wrapped one arm around her while she sobbed into his chest and then he felt another set of arms wrap around his waist. He looked down to see Sophia staring up at him. Her eyes were dry, looking up at him with a knowing look on her face.

"You okay?" He asked her as he pulled her closer with his free arm.

She nodded and then laid her forehead against his side for a few seconds. "I thought you were really shot."

"Just a graze. I've had worse." He said absently. He turned his head when he heard sounds coming from behind him. Merle was with Maggie now. Much like they were when Shane had been shot. Her face buried in his chest and him actually going out of his way to comfort her.

"I shot someone." Sophia said suddenly as she stepped away from him. "I...

Daryl untangled Carol's arms from around his neck and knelt down in front of the girl.

"She didn't kill him." Carl said as he came around Randal. "I didn't want her to do that. I shot him before she did. She didn't kill anyone. He was already falling when she raised her gun."

Sophia looked up, eyes wide. And to Daryl's dismay she threw herself into the boys arms and sobbed. Carl didn't even flash a nervous glance his way. He just hugged her back tightly and when his eyes did shoot up to meet Daryl's the only thing Daryl could do was nod at him. The kid had kept her from having to live with herself after killing someone.

Carl Grimes was okay in his book.


	64. Chapter 64

**I know I didn't put as much in the whole rescue scene as I would have liked, but it's because I didn't want to linger. Something else is coming up and then something else is coming up after that and then who the hell knows what's coming after _that! _But it makes me happy to know that you enjoyed it anyway! So thanks for the feedback! If you haven't noticed, I am not one that likes to do a lot of killing. I miss everyone from the show that isn't there anymore and it makes it really hard for me to write about the end of the world without people noticing that no one is actually _dying_! I really hope that isn't bothering any of you! I'm not saying there isn't going to be any death, I'm just letting you know why there hasn't been much so far. That also doesn't mean I plan on killing off a bunch of people either... Okay, it's early and I'm rambling. Have a great Sunday! Hope you all enjoy =)**

Chapter Sixty Four

Merle knew he was in for one hell of a cussing when they made it back but he didn't care about that at the moment. Maggie was a mess even though she tried to put on a tough face after only a good minute or two of crying. He didn't blame her. He could still hear the taunts of those men ringing in his ears and it made him sick. Not just sick to his stomach either but sick in every cell in his body. If his half assed plan had failed then her and Carol both would be in a world of pain right now.

Duane had found Randal not far from the tree that Merle had stuck him in. Randal hadn't fled the way a lot of the other men had. Merle offered to shoot him but Daryl said no and he was already going to have to hear his brothers nagging mouth for the next year or more so he let him have his way and the boy actually followed them through the woods.

It felt like they had been walking forever. Maggie clung to him and he let her. He was glad that she did. After not knowing what was going to happen to her it felt good to have her near him. He felt like he needed to keep her close. It bothered him to feel that way. He didn't want to feel it and he didn't like the feeling but there was no denying it. It was just there and he wasn't in the mood to fight it. Maybe he would fight it tomorrow. Right now he pulled her a little closer to his side.

They all had their guns drawn just in case ay of the rogue men were still close enough to see that it wasn't an army but just a couple of kids that had done all the damage to their group. They all stayed as quiet as they could. Every now and then Daryl would say something to Carol but they talked in such hushed whispers that Merle could hardly hear them himself so the other men hearing them wasn't something they had to worry about. He did hear Carol tell his brother that she loved him. He was pretty sure that it wasn't the first time that she had said it to him but Merle was a little freaked out about that. No one had ever said that to him before and he was pretty sure that no one had said it to his brother either. And then Daryl said it back which was something even more shocking to Merle. For reasons he would rather not think about, hearing that made him feel very much adrift now.

He loved Daryl. He'd gladly die for him. But he didn't say it. He wasn't even sure if he could say that to another person. There was something frightening in those words. He shrugged it off. He was just Merle. He wouldn't have to worry about shit like that.

Finally, after what felt like hours, they stepped into the field behind the barn. The house was lit up like fucking Christmas and Merle had to keep himself from cursing out loud. He was really going to have to listen to some shit now. Rick was going to be freaking the fuck out so bad that it wasn't going to be funny. This was going to be bad. Especially if he had to end up kicking Ricks ass after taking his boy out on what they would all surely call a suicide mission.

Sure enough there was a group walking towards them and when they were spotted four men came running, Rick in the lead.

Rick stopped about ten feet from them and made a strangled sound when he saw Carl, who still had a protective arm around the girl. He swiped a hand across his face and then sucked in a deep breath. "What the hell happened? We've already been out there searching!"

Merle was about to open his mouth but the kid beat him to it. "Men from that camp took us. They got Daryl, Maggie and Carol too. Merle saw it happen so he followed them and saved us."

Glen, T-dog and Jimmy, who Merle didn't know very well, all shared a strange look. Rick actually took a step back like he had been slapped in the face. And Merle was thinking about jerking the boy up by his arm and beating his ass. It was bad enough when Sophia had lied to save his ass but this was even worse. He was about to open his mouth to deny it but then Carol and Maggie both joined in, agreeing with the lying little fucker. Sophia just smiled. He was going to flog them all as soon as he caught them alone.

~H~

Daryl wasn't surprised that the lie slipped that easily from the boys mouth. He understood why Merle had done the things he had done tonight but he didn't like it. Rick would certainly blow his top if he knew what Merle had done. So that left them making up another story that would certainly thrust Merle right back into hero status and he knew that this time Merle would probably deny the charges of chivalry. But to Daryl's surprise Merle just stood there, holding onto Maggie like she was going to float away as soon as he dropped his arm from around her.

"Did the men come into the house?" Rick asked as they all made there way across the field.

"No, we went outside to talk to Randal." Carl said bravely.

This was news to all of them. In all the chaos no one had been able to ask the kids what the hell had happened. So they had sneaked out of the house to talk to a potentially dangerous man? He glared down at them. Carl was still holding onto to Sophia which was starting to piss him off. He kicked Carl in the ass, maybe a little to hard, and glared at him. The boy looked back, rolled his eyes and dropped his arm.

"The three of you went out to talk to Randal?" Rick asked, disbelief clear in his tone.

His eyes went to Randal who was still walking with them. Daryl didn't know what the fuck to do about that one.

"They did it for me, Rick. I wanted to talk to him and see if he would tell me anything about my dad." Duane spoke up.

"Did you do this? Did you help them bastards take my son?" Rick grabbed Randal by the collar of his shirt but then Carol put a hand on his arm. He looked down at her and she shook her head.

"Rick, we don't know what's going on with him but he didn't have anything to do with this. He didn't have anything to do with Morgan either. He seemed just as scared as we were to be at that camp and then he lied to that man so they wouldn't kill Daryl right away. He told them that Daryl didn't kill Dave. He lied to save one of us."

Rick let go of the kid and stepped back. "How did they get you and Maggie if they didn't come into the house?" Rick asked, searching her face.

"I woke up and needed to see Daryl. I took off like an idiot in the rain and someone grabbed me from behind." She said as she shot Maggie a look. Seemed like Daryl wasn't the only one that hadn't figured out how those men had gotten their hands on the girl.

"Ya'll ever think that maybe it ain't none of your business what she was doin' out here? It's her fuckin' farm. She can go wherever the fuck she wants." Merle growled. "And she ain't in the mood for your fuckin' questions."

Daryl sighed. So that's what Merle was doing in the barn. He was meeting her out there. And it didn't seem like Merle's usual tryst in the barn stall type of meeting either. There was definitely something else there. Something Daryl never thought he would see before. He guessed if it could happen to himself as quick as it did that it could happen to Merle eventually. But his brother was hooked on the girl. In a bad way from what he could tell.

The rest of them had stayed pretty quiet but finally T-dog spoke up just as they climbed the steps to the porch. "So what the hell do we do with him now? Lock him back up?"

Daryl shrugged. "I have no clue. He wasn't even forced to come back with us."

Rick hesitated with his hand on the doorknob. "What did you come back here for? We had you held prisoner."

Randal finally looked up. "I told you. I didn't do anything wrong. I ain't like those guys. They treated me like shit but I didn't know what else to do but stay with them. I never hurt anyone and I wouldn't have hurt your women. I ain't like that."

"So you want us to just let you in with open arms?" Rick glared at him.

Randal shook his head. "All I know is, I don't want to be a part of that group anymore." He looked from face to face and then he paused when Maggie looked up from where her face had been pressed against Merle's leather vest. "Maggie Greene?" he asked as he peered closer.

Merle moved so fast that no one had time to stop him. One second he was fine but as soon as that kid said Maggie's name Merle had her shoved behind him and his hand around the kids throat, nearly lifting him off his feet.

Daryl tried to yank his arm away from the boy before he killed him but Merle was strong. It took Daryl a while to get him to let the boy go. Randal fell on his ass and gasped for a while on the porch.

"I went to school with her, before I moved. She knows my grandparents. She knows my family." He sputtered and coughed a bit as he rubbed his throat.

Maggie squinted at him and then recognition flashed in her eyes. "It's true. And I saw some of those guys pushin' him around before they... Before somethin' else caught their interest. He comes from a good family Rick. We can talk to daddy but I think he's okay." He pulled Merle by the arm until he wasn't standing over the boy anymore. "It's okay. He wont hurt anyone."

Daryl watched Merle closely. Finally what she said seemed to register with him and he let her pull him a few feet back before wrapping her arms around him once more.

Rick finally just sighed and opened the door. Lori nearly crashed into him and when she saw Carl she dropped to her knees and pulled him towards her. She was sobbing into his shoulder as she hugged him. Daryl was beyond sick of her. She hadn't said hardly a word to the kid since Shane was shot and now she was the concerned mother all of a sudden. He just grunted and stepped around her, pulling Carol along with him. Everyone else followed.

"Maggie!" Beth yelled and ran to her sister, who finally pulled herself from Merle's waist once more. Beth hugged her tightly and then Hershel came through.

"Maggie? Oh, thank you God." He breathed as he wrapped his arms around both girls.

Merle stepped away and leaned against the wall. He must have felt Daryl's eyes on him because he looked up. Daryl almost felt sorry for him. He looked about like he had when they had all been sitting around the table. Almost dazed. Definitely confused. He looked away first, which was an odd thing. Usually Merle could stare down anyone.

After explaining to everyone what happened, or their new variation of what happened, Daryl took Sophia and Carol to their room. He had to know what the hell was wrong with this girl. How she could do something so fucking stupid. And so he got straight to the point. He sat down on the edge of the bed, took her hands and looked her right in the eye.

"How could you do somethin' so fuckin' stupid?" He asked bluntly.

"I helped save you and mom. What else was I suppose to do? Let you both die?" She asked as she pulled her hands out of his so she could cross them in front of her.

"Yeah, you helped save me and your mom but why the fuck would you go out there to talk to that guy in the first place?"

"Duane was going. I couldn't let him go alone." She argued.

Carol sat down next to him. "Can we just talk about this in the morning?"

Daryl frowned. "You don't think this is somethin' she needs to hear right now?"

"What good is it going to do? She'll do what she wants regardless of what either one of us say to her." Carol sounded tired and she looked worn out.

Daryl couldn't help but flinch a little, knowing that this was about the worst punishment that could be dished out to the girl. Her moms disappointment was worse than any yelling fit that Daryl could have tossed her way.

He glanced at Sophia and sure enough there were tears now.

"Mom, that isn't fair. Duane's my friend. I couldn't let him go alone." She repeated.

Carol just shook her head. "Sophia, I love you. Go to bed." There was a finality to her words that left no room for arguing or any further discussion.

Sophia looked at him then, eyes pleading. He didn't know what the hell either of them expected him to do. He knew how Carol felt. Sophia had been constantly putting more and more stress on her but he couldn't let the girl walk away feeling like that.

"I'll walk with ya. I need to make sure Merle's alright anyway." He was using Merle as an excuse but it worked. Carol just nodded.

Neither of them said anything until they were in front of her room. Daryl was the one that broke the silence. "You alright?"

She shook her head. "I think my mom is starting to hate me."

Daryl felt his breath catch. He knew what that felt like. He knew exactly what that felt like and he felt sick to think that she would think something like that about Carol. "I don't wanna hear that come outta your mouth again. You know better than that shit. It ain't true. You've put me and your mom through some shit ever since you came outta them woods. She's scared. If somethin' happened to you it'd kill her. It'd kill me. You got that?"

Sophia took a step away from him, fear clear in her eyes and he realized then how angry he had sounded. But he was angry. Jesus, this kid had no idea how lucky she was to have a mom like that. It was crazy for her to say that her mom hated her. But he didn't want her scared. He wanted her to stop scaring him.

"Sophia, I..."

"I'm sorry." She whispered right before she hurried into the room and shut the door quickly.

He stood there, not knowing what the hell he was suppose to do now. Should he go in there and talk to her? Make sure she was alright? He hadn't meant to hurt her but he hadn't been able to stop himself. She had no business thinking that way. He waited another minute but then decided to just leave her be. Merle was in there and he would end up arguing with him over her for half the night. He wanted to take watch again anyway. At least stay out on the porch until someone else came out. That was a lot of gunshots and they hadn't been _that_ far from the farm. If any Walkers were around all the noise would draw them to that camp and it wouldn't take them long to stumble upon the farm.

He turned to leave when Merle threw the door open and stormed out into the hallway. He shut the door behind him and glared at Daryl. "The fuck did ya say to her?" he asked pointing an angry finger towards the closed door.

"None of your damn business." He growled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"The fuck it ain't! Ya made her cry. What the fuck did you do?" Merle spat as he put his face closer to Daryl's.

Daryl clenched his jaw. Surely he wasn't insinuating that he would hurt her. And if he was then Daryl was going to knock his teeth out of the back of his head. "You try'na ask me if I put my hands on her?"

"Did you?" Merle took another step and Daryl shoved him backwards.

"Fuck you! You know I wouldn't do anything to her you dumb son of a bitch. And if you don't know that then you're stupider than I always thought you were."

Merle came at him but the door suddenly flew open and Sophia hurried out. "Stop." She said quietly as she wiped at her cheeks. "Daryl wouldn't ever hurt me, Merle. You know better than that." She admonished gently.

Merle seemed to lose some of his steam but he was still glaring. Finally he just shook his head and then went back into the room, leaving the two of them alone in the hallway once more.

She looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. "He's a bit over protective."

Daryl's lips twitched and he nodded.

"Must be a Dixon thing. Lucky me, huh?" She dropped the smile as her eyes filled up once more. "I am really sorry. For what I did and for what I said. Okay?"

He knelt down and drew her closer. "You can't think shit like that, alright?" He said in a hushed voice.

She nodded and he placed a hand on each side of her head, wiping under her eyes with his thumbs. She took a deep breath that sounded unsteady. "I don't really think that. I'm lucky to have her... and you." Her lips turned up, "And Merle. Even though he gets me into trouble."

He smiled now. A real one. "Merle tends to do that. He's a bad influence. Got me into a lotta shit when I was a younger."

"Are we good?" She asked after a few silent seconds.

He nodded and without thinking kissed her forehead lightly before standing up. "Go to sleep, kid." he growled before he turned around and went back to his own room.


	65. Chapter 65

**I'm not happy with this chapter. It is a filler and every time I reread it I just dislike it more and more for some reason. Maybe it is just me. I certainly hope you don't hate it! It's also damn short. But at least it is something to read! Hope everyone has a great day!**

Chapter Sixty Five

Carol felt so drained. She was worried about Sophia. She had never had a problem out of the girl. Never one. She had always listened to what Carol said, never talked back, never disobeyed. She had barely ever spoken at all. And now it was something new, and worse, every single day with the girl. And she really couldn't blame Merle. His reason for bringing the kids made sense even if it did infuriate her that they had been there. Merle would always do what he had to do and she figured he handled the situation the best way he knew how.

But if Sophia hadn't been outside to begin with, in the middle of the night, in a damn storm, to talk to that guy that could have been dangerous, then they would have never stumbled upon Merle to begin with. But she guessed she should be glad that the kids had done what they had done or Merle would never have known that Maggie, Daryl and herself had even been taken.

Daryl slipped back into the room and quietly shut the door behind him. He looked as tired as she felt and all she wanted to do was curl up next to him.

"You alright?" He asked as he eased himself down onto his knees in front of where she sat on the edge of the bed.

She had nearly forgotten about his shoulder until she saw the blood. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and he let it slide off his arms and drop to the floor. "I need to get this cleaned up. It's nearly stopped bleeding on it's own."

She reached for the drawer where the first aid things were still kept from where he had been shot by Jimmy. He stopped her with a hand on her wrist. She looked at him questioningly.

"I got real shitty with her and made her cry." he said as he searched her face.

She wasn't sure what he expected her to say about that. She didn't want her daughter crying but she knew how bad she had scared the man over the last few days. "She'll be fine." Carol assured him.

He let go of her wrist so she started gathering the things she needed out of the drawer. She shivered when she finally let herself think about how close that bullet had come to actually hitting him. Her hands were shaking as she cleaned the blood away.

"We should have let Hershel look at this." She whispered in a shaky voice.

Daryl snorted. "This ain't nothin'. I've had worse."

She felt a small smile tug at the corners of her mouth. "You've told me that before." And she knew it was true. She didn't know a whole lot about his past but she knew enough to know that Daryl Dixon had suffered his share of harm. Her hands had been all over his body and it was body that held a lot of scars. He never talked about them and she never asked him where they had come from. If he wanted her to know then he would have told her. Everyone was entitled to their past and their secrets.

"You're shakin'." He frowned down at her hand that was washing the blood that had traveled down his chest.

"It's been a rough night. Even before everything happened." She whispered as she concentrated on her task and not the blue eyes that were staring holes into her face. His muscles were tense under her hands.

"Why were you out there?" He asked after a while.

She was placing a bandage over the ugly gash. She didn't meet his eyes until she was finished and when she finally did his brow was furrowed with worry. She reached up with a finger and smoothed out the lines. For some reason she remembered doing the same thing at the quarry and had been so flustered by that small touch that she had blushed furiously. "I had a nightmare." She said simply.

His frown deepened and she gave up on trying to smooth it away. "Well, I bet it wasn't worse than what really happened." He grumbled.

"It was actually. Nothing really happened tonight. A couple boys lost their innocence. You got grazed by a bullet. That was it."

"You and Maggie almost got..."

"But we didn't." She cut him off. "That dream was worse."

"Must have been a real bad one then." He eyed her curiously and she sighed and draped her arms over his shoulders.

"Sophia was a Walker. Ed was there. You died. You want me to keep going?" She asked as she arched a brow. She was trying to blow off the dream but it wasn't really working and she could feel him tensing up again.

"Sophia wont ever be one of those things. Ed is double dead and buried in a shallow grave. And I don't plan on dyin' any time soon." He growled.

"None of us plan on it. It just creeps up on us." She said wearily.

His face hardened and then he slid his arms around her waist. She moved her knees apart so he could get closer. "I ain't goin' no where." he grumbled. "You need to quick thinkin' that way. You'll drive your damn self crazy."

She leaned down and kissed him lightly. "You're the boss. I'll quit thinking that way."

He smirked. "That easy huh?"

"It is tonight. I'm too tired to fight with you. You're draining when you get started." She gave him a smile.

"No I ain't. And I ain't got time to fight with you either. I'm gonna take watch till the sun comes up. Keep an eye out in case any Walkers heard all that shootin'."

"You aren't going back to that barn. Especially alone." She said fiercely, instantly feeling a lot less tired than she had a minute ago.

He scoffed. "I thought _I_ was the boss?"

"I mean it. You can't go back out there." She knew that she was starting to sound desperate but she didn't care. She couldn't stand the thought of him out there again. Not tonight. Not as far away as that damn barn. He wasn't the only one that thought of Walkers possibly hearing the gunshots.

"I'm gonna be right on the porch. I might see if T-dog or Merle will take the back porch. Just in case." He stood up then and she followed.

"Why can't Rick and Glen do it?" She grabbed his arm.

"Because they took first watch. I'll be right on the porch." He gave her a curious look.

She knew it would do no good to argue with him. He was stubborn, but she couldn't stand even the thought of being away from him. Not right now. Not after the night they had had. So she ripped the blanket off the bed and balled it up, tucking it under her arm. "Fine." She shrugged. "But I'm going with you."

She expected him to argue with her but he didn't. He actually grinned. "New scenery?"

He raised one eyebrow and then she couldn't help it. Stressed out or not, she laughed. "Definitely not." She followed him out and was surprised to see T-dog already out there.

T-dog grinned. "Shoulda known you'd be out here."

Daryl nodded. "You wanna take the back? Those shots got me worried."

"Sounds like a plan." He slapped Daryl on the back, shot Carol a warm smile and then headed off around the side of the house.

Daryl leaned his rifle against the banister, sat the crossbow down in front of him and then sat down so he could look towards the woods. She sighed and wrapped herself up in the blanket like it was a cocoon. She curled up, nearly on his lap and closed her eyes, her head buried in the crook of his neck. His arms came around her and she smiled against his shirt. It was getting colder and she made herself believe that she was helping him out by offering him some body heat. It didn't take her long to drift off, still smiling.

~H~

Merle didn't like kids. He didn't like women either. They both got on his goddamn nerves. So why the hell was he laying in the middle of his bed with Sophia on one side and Maggie on the other? Sophia had started out just sitting with him, talking, with her back pressed against the headboard. She had fallen asleep and eventually had wiggled her way down so that she was lying next to him. When he heard the door open he was glad, he thought that it would have been Daryl and then he could have moved her. Merle would have moved her himself but he didn't want to look like an asshole.

But it wasn't Daryl. It was Maggie. She smiled when she saw Sophia sleeping next to him, curled up right under his arm. He knew he was scowling but when her smile faded and she looked at him with large questioning eyes he forced his face to smooth back out and he offered her a small smile.

She apparently took this as some sort of permission because she came around the other side of the bed and slid in on his other side. She put her head on his chest and draped one arm over his waist and fell asleep just as quick as the kid had.

He sighed but couldn't help but wrap his arm around Maggie's shoulders. It had been a stressful night on all of them and he didn't blame them for not wanting to be alone. Even though, technically, Sophia was never alone. She slept only a few feet away from him on the couch every night. The ever present pain in his ass.

"You saved me tonight." Maggie whispered.

He had been sure she was asleep but she raised her head off his chest and looked at him intently. He just shrugged. "We're even now."

She frowned. "Is that why you did it? Because you thought you owed me?"

He shook his head slowly. "No."

The ghost of a smile crept into her eyes. "You know how dangerous that was? You could have gotten killed yourself."

"I ain't scared to die, girl. We all do eventually."

Her frown returned. "You might not be scared to die but you should think of what that would do to the people that care about you. You ever think that just cause you ain't scared to die doesn't mean people ain't scared to lose you? That should make you more cautious."

He narrowed his eyes. "If I wasted time thinkin' about shit like that then you'd be on your third or fourth man by now, if you was even still breathin' and my brothers woman would be dead for sure, so don't talk to me about caution. Sometimes there ain't no time for that."

He felt her body tense where it was pressed against his side. "Ya know, sometimes you can be a real asshole, Merle." She whispered harshly and then she tried to get up but he held her there with his arm around her shoulder. "Let me up."

"Didn't ya know that I was an asshole before you started this little thing, darlin'?" He wasn't going to let her go while she was all pissed off. That hadn't turned out good for him last time.

She didn't answer him right away. She kept her eyes guarded but finally she smiled. "Merle Dixon, did you just call us a thing? Are you sayin' you're my boyfriend now?"

He scowled at her. "I never said that." he hissed.

"Yes you did. You said thing. Even if you didn't mean to say it out loud that's still what you were thinkin'."

"I ain't never had a girlfriend. It even sounds stupid." He scoffed. "Girlfriend. You're outta your goddamn mind, you know that? Now get the hell outta my bed."

She shook her head and laid it back down on his chest. "Ain't nothin' wrong with layin' with your boyfriend. I'm gonna stay right here."

"Jesus Christ, sometimes I really can't stand you." He growled as he slowly skimmed his hand up and down her back.

He felt her smiling into his shirt but all he could do was growl once more and shake his head angrily.


	66. Chapter 66

**Have I told you lately that you guys are loved? =) I had to rephrase that first sentence because it sounded too much like the lyrics to a Rod Stewart song ;) Most of you guys always make me feel way better about certain chapters that I'm afraid no one will like! And that is one reason you are loved. Anyway, no rest for the wicked, I suppose. Too many shots fired for things to go smooth now. Hope you like this chapter and thank you for reading and reviewing and sticking by me through what has turned into quite a long journey =) Enjoy!**

Chapter Sixty Six

Daryl knew that the sun would be up soon. The birds were starting to stir, relieving the eerie silence that seemed to have enveloped the farm as he sat there. Carol hadn't stirred once, sleeping like a rock the entire remainder of the night. She had mumbled a bit. She was always bad about that. She had said his name quite a few times, causing him to grin like a moron but it was okay because no one was looking.

It was still dark however, which was why he didn't see the first few stumble out of the trees. By the time he saw them coming there were at least thirty. At first he thought that the men that had gotten away were coming back. When he realized what was really coming their way he nearly threw Carol off his lap just as T-dog came around the corner.

"Carol, get Sophia and Merle. Tell the rest to bring all the guns we have. GO!" Carol was already going before he even finished his sentence.

He glanced at T-dog, who was already aiming his rifle into the distance. T met his eyes. "You think we have a chance?"

Turning back towards the approaching herd Daryl cursed under his breath. There had to have been a hundred or more making their way towards the house, and they were still coming out of the trees. He reached for the rifle and then him and T-dog began firing into the mass of bodies. He didn't answer the man. He was sure T-dog wouldn't want to hear anything Daryl said at the moment.

Daryl didn't even turn to see who was there when he heard the door open. He just knew that whoever it was left the porch and was now shooting from the front yard. Another person came after that and eventually all that could be heard was gunfire, but the Walkers kept coming. And they were getting closer.

"We gotta get to the vehicles!" He shouted as he jumped over the banister and into the yard. The person closest to him was Hershel. He grabbed the old man's arm. "We can't do this. There's too many."

Hershel jerked his arm away. "This is my farm. I'll die here." He snapped.

"You willin' to let your girls die here?" Daryl hissed as the Walkers advanced. But Hershel just ignored him and kept shooting.

Daryl glanced around frantically but he didn't see Carol anywhere. There was no sign of Sophia or Merle either. His hurt began hammering painfully in his chest. The Walkers were there now. He shot one and then took off towards the house just as Beth came out. He grabbed her arm and she screamed just as he felt hands on his own arm. He turned and sure enough, one of them had followed him up the steps. He reached for the knife at his side and then stuck it right into the things eye. When he turned back for Beth she was gone, he wasn't sure if she had went back into the house or if she had gone around him unnoticed and fled.

Patricia was the next to fly through the door, nearly running into him. She paused and looked at him, eyes wide and panicked. "There isn't anyone else in there. Everyone is gone." She took off without saying another word so he followed her down the steps.

Andrea was the next living person he saw. She was shooting another Walker in the head and to Daryl's surprise, Milton slammed a knife into ones face that was coming at her from behind. The man looked terrified but determined. Daryl was sure that Jenner's words were running through his mind at the moment.

"Get to the cars!" Daryl screamed just as another lunged at him. He shot it and then there was another there to take it's place but right before he was able to shoot that one he felt another grabbing at his shoulder, pressing into the gash that was still covered by the bandages Carol had put on the wound earlier.

He heard an ear splitting gunshot close to him right before he shot the Walker in front of him. He spun around and Rick gave him a grave nod and walked away, shooting others. Daryl glanced around frantically again but still he didn't see the three people he needed to find. He heard a scream behind him and turned to see Otis fall, a Walker on his back, ripping away a chunk of flesh. The scream came from Patricia who tried to pull the thing off of him. He aimed at it's head just as another grabbed her arm and bit into her.

Fuck. He should have known this would happen.

He swallowed down bile and shot Patricia in the head and then shot the one that had bitten her. He was about to Shoot Otis who was still writhing in agony as the Walker on him continued it's feast but he didn't have too. Carl did it for him and then shot the Walker. Daryl met the boys eyes briefly, nodded and then turned just in time to see the boy that had shot him, Jimmy, get taken down by two more. He saw Andrea rushing over to the boy and then she shot all three before Daryl had a chance too.

He needed to find them. Carol, Sophia and Merle. He had too. They had to be okay. He heard the engines then. Headlights flashed in his eyes and then he was falling, hitting the ground hard, a growling weight on his back. Just as he felt something cold touch his shoulder he heard another shot and then Carl was pushing the dead Walker off his back.

"We gotta get out of here!" Carl screamed.

Daryl stabbed another Walker before it could get the boy. A truck pulled up several yards away and Hershel finally stopped shooting and jumped in. Daryl felt a hand on his arm once more but it was Rick. He pulled Daryl to his truck and shoved him in.

Rick yelled. "I have to get Lori!"

Daryl was about to jump out of the truck and tell him to take care of his own fucking kid. "I gotta get Carol. Sophia and my brother are still out here somewhere!"

Rick spun around as he retreated. "They're gone!" He yelled and then he started shooting Walkers again.

Gone. Gone? What did he mean they were gone? Did he see them go down? Was his whole fucking family dead? Or were they in another car? What the fuck could he have meant by gone? He had to get back out there and find them.

"Daryl!" Carl shrieked as Walkers started covering the truck. They were crawling across the hood, beating on the side windows.

"Fuck!" He screamed and then slammed his fists into the steering wheel." He put it in drive and pressed down viciously on the gas, swerving so the ones clinging to the hood would slip off. He ran over as many as he could. Knowing it wasn't going to kill them but feeling a grim satisfaction as he did it. He kept his eyes peeled as he scanned the area for any trace of Carol, Sophia or Merle but there was no one. He saw nothing but Walkers. He did see other vehicles though. He saw Andrea hanging out of one car, shooting as the driver made a wide U-turn in the yard and then came back for more.

They had all agreed that if something ever happened and they were all separated then they would all meet at the road where the herd had came through the first day that Carl and Sophia had turned up missing. That's where he would go. But if he went straight there then the Walkers would eventually catch up so before he turned onto the road, he went the opposite way. And as he pulled out he saw taillights in the distance. Someone else had the same idea. He looked over at Carl who was sitting wide eyed in the seat, staring straight ahead.

"You alright?" Daryl croaked and then had to clear his throat.

"I killed Patricia." He stated flatly, not looking from the windshield.

"You kept her from having to feel those things tear her apart. That's what you did. You did real good, boy. I had you pegged all wrong. You really saved my ass tonight."

This got his attention and the next time Daryl looked over the boy was looking at him. "So I did okay? Killing her wasn't a bad thing?"

Daryl shook his head. He was almost caught up with the vehicle in front of them. It was Shane's Jeep.

"It was a mercy killin', boy. You saved her from sufferin'. That took balls. You're a good man for that." Talking to Carl was making him feel a little more calm. He was sure that they were all three safe. If one of them had been killed he would know it. He would be able to feel that. So he clung to hope and silently willed Carl to continue on with the conversation.

"You think I'm a good man now?" he asked suspiciously.

Daryl didn't hesitate. He had even taken out the man that tried to shoot him so Sophia wouldn't have that on her shoulders. There really wasn't any way he could repay the kid for that one. Sophia was tough but killing someone, anyone really, wasn't an easy thing and she was just a little girl. "Yeah, I do."

"Good enough for Sophia?" Carl finally asked.

Daryl nearly ran into the Jeep that was now directly in front of him. He glanced over and glared. "You want me to throw your goddamn ass out of this truck, boy? I fuckin' knew it! I knew what was goin' on in that head of yours. I told Carol and she just laughed me off." Daryl glared at the Jeep in front of him, trying to make out who may be in it.

"Is that a no?"

Daryl heard the seriousness in the kids voice and he wanted to reach over and backhand him one good time. "Yes. That is one solid mother fuckin' _no, _you little shit."

They had to be out there somewhere. Nothing could kill Merle and that was the last person either of them were with. Merle wouldn't let anything happen to them. This was Merle's world. The man knew what he was doing when it came to surviving. Daryl kept telling himself this over and over again as he followed the jeep.

~H~

Carol stared out the window at the trees that lined the side of the road. The sun was coming up but she barely registered it. Glen was driving and Amy was in the passenger seat and as far as Carol knew they were the only three left alive. She hadn't seen Sophia at all and the only thing she kept telling herself was that she had been with Merle and she was safe. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. He couldn't let anything happen to her. So Sophia's chances were pretty high thanks to him.

But she had seen Daryl. The last glimpse she had was him being taken down from behind by a Walker. It was going for his neck or his shoulder and then he was gone. The car speeding off and a tree blocking her view. Maybe that was for the best. She didn't want to see that. That was her thoughts now. But at the time Amy had had to dive into the backseat to keep her in the speeding car. At the time her only thought had been to get to him. He needed her and she was fleeing like the coward she had always thought she was. But now her mind was a little more clear.

Everyone had driven off in different directions, not wanting to lead the Walkers to the road. They had been driving around for a while and other than the occasional lone Walker, there was no sign of the herd that had taken the farm.

She couldn't believe how many had came. There were hundreds. The whole group had let themselves fall into a false sense of security there. Daryl had been right from the start. It wasn't safe there. But she had wanted to stay and so they did. But she hadn't been the only one. The Greenes' would have never left that farm and they would all be dead right now if her group hadn't stayed. Hell, maybe they all were. Hershel didn't seem to be too interested in leaving even after they were all surrounded by those filthy things.

"Do you think we should head back to the highway now?" Amy asked as Glen took her hand and glanced at Carol in the mirror.

Glen nodded after giving Carol one more worried look. She wasn't sure what he saw in her face. She didn't care. She was trying to prepare herself to deal with whatever she found out on the highway. If Daryl wasn't going to be there then she needed to compose herself. Be strong for Sophia and Merle. Because she knew she would see the two of them. Surely fate wouldn't take them too. The sight of that Walker landing on his back flashed through her mind once more and she visibly flinched.

Her gun lay there in her lap and she thought about the dream once again. If somehow Merle hadn't been able to save her daughter, if she really had lost them both, maybe she would sneak off and end the pain that that would cause. She shook the thought off almost as soon as she thought it. She wouldn't do that. She would fight for them both. Somehow she would survive. She picked up the gun, the one he had given her at the CDC. He had given her the gun and then, that same night, he had told her he loved her. Sophia had been asleep in the same room, safe and alive. What a wonderful night. She smiled as she stared at the gun in her lap.

"Carol?" Glen spoke up, breaking through that memory. "They're all fine. Okay? Everything is going to be okay."

She nodded. She didn't believe him but she nodded regardless. The gun felt good in her hands. Cold. Hard. Real. She planned on bringing a lot of death to as many Walkers as she could with this gun. She wouldn't give up. If they were really gone, and she still didn't know for sure if they were, she was going to raise as much hell as she could until it was her turn to die. She would do her man proud. Dixon style.

She laughed at that thought. Glen looked at her through the mirror again as Amy turned in her seat. She cut the laugh short. Great. Now they thought she was losing her mind. Maybe she was.

**Should I start killing off more people? Be honest! I HATE doing that but it is the end of the world here and so far all our people have been really lucky! I wouldn't mind keeping it that way for a while but YOU are the ones reading it! XD**


	67. Chapter 67

**I didn't want to leave you all waiting for this one but I don't think I can post another chapter until tomorrow afternoon. I got a lot of stuff and things to do so I have to take a short break. Thanks for all of the reviews and suggestions! It is appreciated! Hope you all have a great day!**

Chapter Sixty Seven

Merle glanced over his shoulder at the girls in the back seat before returning his attention to the road. They were almost to the spot where T-dog said the others would be. They would meet somewhere on the highway where they had gotten hung up and Sophia and Carl had turned up missing. These poor bastards were coming full circle.

Maggie and Sophia were huddled together in the back seat. Maggie had her face turned towards the window. Her expression was grim at best. She had her arms around Sophia who was looking much less like an adult than she did during their camp raid in the dark.

Merle hadn't been much of a hero this morning. The only thing he could think about was keeping Maggie and Sophia as close to him as he could and get them to a car. He had tried like hell to help the others keep the Walkers at bay but when he realized that they were just going to keep on coming he took them both and ran to the nearest car he could find. He had circled around to see if anyone else was fleeing and that was when Sophia had spotted T-dog, trying like hell to fight off three Walkers alone. Before Merle even knew what he was doing he was out of the car and shooting the Walkers off the man. Later he decided that he did it for Daryl. Daryl and this guy were pretty good friends and he left it at that.

T-dog had been even more surprised than Merle. He had actually looked at him like he expected Merle to shoot him next. But Merle just offered him his hand and they had jumped into the car.

"Merle?" Sophia asked in a small voice.

He shook his head, knowing just by the sound of her voice what she was about to ask him. "Don't even think it, darlin'. Ain't nothin' happened to them, you hear me? Nothin'."

She nodded and laid her head back down on Maggie's shoulder.

He hoped he hadn't just lied to her. There was a good chance that they hadn't made it. Those Walkers were everywhere. But he had to believe that his brother was okay and he had to believe that Sophia and Daryl hadn't lost Carol. That was too much. Daryl had been through too much to have to go through something like that. He deserved everything he had now. Daryl had lived through hell his whole life. It hadn't even ended when he had grown up, a lot of it because of Merle himself, and now the boy deserved to be happy.

"Right here. This is where we wait." T-dog muttered dully.

Merle stopped the car and they all four sat there for a few minutes before they said anything. It was Sophia who finally spoke. "They aren't here." Her soft voice filled the silence of the car.

"Give'em time. Everybody scattered in different directions. We're just the ones that got here first." Merle assured her.

"Can we get out?" Maggie asked. "I feel sick." Without confirmation she threw open the door and bolted from the car.

Merle cursed but got out and followed her. He wanted to make her feel better. The girl had been through a lot but he just didn't know how. He wasn't good at any of this shit. He had never bothered before. But he knew that he couldn't just tell her to suck it up and stop being a pussy. Even though that was about the only advice he had to give her.

Her hands were braced against the guard rail and she was definitely sick. He made a face and then patted her back. "That's gross as fuck, Maggie." He flinched. He hadn't meant to say it out loud. Now she was going to feel even worse.

She surprised him though. She let out a small laugh before heaving again.

"God. I'm gonna go try to find ya somethin' to rinse your mouth out." He said as he walked away.

T-dog was walking towards him with a bottle of water, already knowing what the girl would need. Sophia kept close to T but Merle knew how the girl was and he figured he had better say something.

"No wonderin' off, ya got it?" He asked.

She nodded.

"I'll keep an eye on her." T-dog said as they leaned against the hood of the car.

Merle walked back to Maggie, who was now turned around, leaning against the guardrail that she had just been throwing up over. He wordlessly handed her the bottle and watched as she rinsed out her mouth a few times and then drained it.

"Thanks." She muttered as she leaned back once more.

He couldn't help but notice how pale she looked. And how sad she looked. "They'll be here. All of'em." He said as he leaned next to her.

"You don't know that." She said sadly. "We could be the only ones left. You saw all those things."

He shook his head. "My brother, he's on his way. Your daddy and that sister of yours, they'll be here too."

She tilted her head and squinted up at him. "I hope you're right."

"I'm right." He said stubbornly.

She smiled and then tried to pull him closer. He glanced around, making sure T-dog and Sophia weren't looking, when he knew it was safe he let her. She turned around and pressed her back against him. When he wrapped both arms around her waist she leaned her head back and sighed. He kept throwing glances towards the other two but their backs were turned. T-dog was leaning up against the car and Sophia was sitting cross legged on the hood.

When he saw the coast was clear he relaxed into her, flattening his hand against her stomach and pulling her back against him harder, pressing his forehead into her shoulder. He couldn't help but wonder what he was suppose to do if he was wrong. If his brother didn't come back. If maybe he hadn't made it.

As if she could read his mind Maggie turned and then wrapped her arms around his neck. He resumed his spot, forehead against her other shoulder now, arms locked around her like a vice. He was blind to anyone watching and so he was less tense about what they would see. As long as he didn't have to see them looking at him he was okay. He'd just pretend that they weren't.

"What are we gonna do if we're the only ones left, Merle?" She whispered.

He let out a heavy breath. "Then we do what we gotta do I guess. But my brother ain't dead." He said after a long pause. "And neither is your people. Just give'em time."

~H~

Daryl pulled over behind the Jeep. Carl had been, thankfully, quiet for the rest of the drive and now it was time to figure out who all was in the Jeep. He had lost some hope when he saw that it was actually Dale driving. The only people that got out was Dale, Duane and that damn Randal kid.

They all looked pretty grim but Dale shook his hand and gave him a warn smile. "I'm glad you made it, son." He said and then he watched as Duane and Carl embraced like old friends. No one would have thought that more than two days ago the boys never knew each other. Bonds formed faster now days. When no one knew how much time they would have.

"Did you see my brother? Or Carol and Sophia? Rick said..." Daryl's throat closed up and he had to swallow hard.

Dale nodded. "I saw them. I saw Merle and Sophia anyway. Merle didn't hesitate at all. He got her in a car and then he was gone. He had Maggie with him."

Daryl didn't realize he had been holding his breath until it rushed out in a huff. Sophia was okay, he let that sink in for a few seconds. But his stomach was still in knots. Dale hadn't said anything about Carol. She had to be okay.

"We need to circle around and head back to the highway. That's where everyone will be." Daryl said in a strained voice that he didn't even recognize.

"I'm sure she's fine, Daryl. That is one strong woman. You know that." Dale said.

Daryl just nodded and looked at Carl. "You boys wanna ride with me or Dale? I know ya'll ain't gonna split up."

Carl gave him a half hearted smile. "I'll take my chances with Dale. He wont threaten to throw me out of the car."

"Good call." He muttered as he climbed back into the truck and waited for Dale to get the Jeep turned around.

His stomach was in knots and his heart was about to pound right out of his chest but he had to believe that she was okay. At least his brother and Sophia were alright. That counted for a lot. But he needed to know that Carol had made it off the farm. He couldn't think of what it would do to him, or Sophia, if she hadn't. He needed her now like he needed air. He didn't like to think that he couldn't survive without her. He didn't like having to depend on someone else like that. But he did. She made up a big part of who he was now. In what little time they had been together she had opened him up like a book and accepted every single flaw he had. She loved him and he couldn't lose that. Not after just finding it. He did what he had been doing since the moment he talked to her that night by the quarry. He clung to hope. Clung to it with every ounce of strength he had.

~H~

Finally they made it. The first thing Carol saw was Sophia, sitting on the hood of the car with T-dog standing next to her. She spotted Merle and Maggie together by the guard rail. She kept her eyes peeled but she didn't see Daryl anywhere. Had she expected too? She pushed thoughts of him to the back of her head for a moment. Her daughter was there. Like she knew she would be. Merle would always take care of her. She felt relief in that knowledge.

She hurried out of the car before Glen could even put it in park. Sophia was watching and when she saw her she was running towards her. Carol caught her half way, hugging her to her tightly. Maggie and Merle were making their way over. Maggie had her fingers intertwined with his but Carol barely registered that at the moment.

"Thank you, Merle." She choked as tears finally made their way to her eyes.

"Daryl?" Was all Merle said. His voice sounding softer than it normally did.

What was she suppose to tell them? The truth? Sophia pulled away and was looking at her now, the girls fingers were digging painfully into her shoulders as her own eyes searched Carols for an answer.

"I saw him... I saw him fall. There was a Walker on his back but I didn't see him get bit. I didn't see what happened." Carol's voice was lighter than a whisper. The words feeling like fists to her chest. Saying them out loud drove it in. Made it real. He could be gone.

"No!" Sophia snarled as she wretched herself out of Carol's arms and backed away. She looked like a cornered animal that was about to bolt but Merle was there as soon as she turned to run, catching her around her waist and going to his knees. "No no no." She wailed and then grabbed him around the neck, clinging to him as she sobbed.

Merle held her tightly, his eyes staring of blankly and his face deathly pale. And all of this solidified it to Carol then. She covered her face with her hands and sat down on the road. Finally letting go and crying herself. She felt a gentle arm go around her shoulders and then Maggie's sweet voice next to her ear.

"Carol, we don't know yet. There's still hope." Maggie sat down next to her and pulled her into her shoulder. Carol still cried. She cried silently but it was intense, her chest feeling shredded and her mind feeling bruised. She couldn't do this. She had to be strong but no matter how often she told herself that she just couldn't pull herself together.

More people showed up after a while. Milton and Andrea, Rick and Lori. Hershel and Beth. They were almost all there. They were missing Dale, Daryl, Duane and Carl. Rick told her that he had seen Carl and Daryl in his truck. That he had forced Daryl into his truck even though he never saw them drive off. But this didn't give Carol any hope. None, because she knew how he was. He must have changed his mind and got back out of the truck because she had saw him go down.

Merle made his way towards her, keeping Sophia close to his side. He sat down next to her, leaning his back against the same abandoned car that was about the only thing keeping her up. She was surprised when his arm went around her and he pulled her close to his side, she didn't feel any better that he was there but she did feel comforted. She felt like she wasn't alone. This was their grief to share. The three of them.

~H~

He squinted out the windshield but at first he couldn't make out who was who. When he finally put the truck in park he was close enough to see who was milling around. And not one person was the person he was looking for. He knew his brother had gotten Sophia away in time. Dale had seen that himself but he didn't see his brother anywhere and he didn't see Carol.

He was out of the truck before Dale and the kids were, running towards the others. She had to be there. They all had to be there. His luck, Merle got Sophia off the farm and then they wrecked the fucking car or something. Why weren't they there yet?

He saw Maggie then, standing with Hershel and Beth. When she saw him she covered her mouth. He nearly jumped over the hood of a car once he was close enough to see the tears in Maggie's eyes. Maggie had been with Merle, but where the hell was he? And why the fuck was she crying like that? Did something happen?

Maggie pointed to something behind him and he spun around, expecting a Walker to be there but there was no Walker. Merle was sitting on the ground with his back to the very car that Daryl had launched himself across. Sophia had her face buried in his side and Carol was actually curled up on the ground with her head in his lap, sobbing silently as Merle rubbed his hand up and down her arm absently. Her hands were covering her face. Merle looked bad. Face as white as a sheet and eyes that looked like he had been shooting up for three days straight. Vacant and unseeing.

His breath came out in a rush, and he ran a shaking hand through his hair. "You scared the fuck outta me!" He hissed and three heads shot up at once to look at him.

A smile crept over Merle's face and he was the first one up. Carol and Sophia were still staring at him like he was a ghost and he realized then that they had been just as worried about him. Merle confirmed it when he grabbed him squeezed the hell out of him in what he assumed was a hug. They had never been much on affection before but he hugged his brother back, feeling less awkward than he thought he might. He didn't think Merle planned on letting go of him until he heard Sophia approaching.

"I fuckin' knew it." She mumbled as he knelt down so she could hug him.

"Don't say fuck." He breathed into her neck.

"I thought you were gone. Mom saw that Walker on you and then she didn't see anything else." They were sure you were dead."

"And you didn't believe it?" He asked, feeling choked up that they had spent all that time thinking he was dead.

"I couldn't." She muttered as she pulled away. "But how did you get it off of you?"

He hated telling her what he had to tell her next but he felt he needed too. "I would be dead. That things teeth was right there. Carl shot it before it bit me." he would have rather told her that the little bastard had shit his pants and then ran screaming into the night but he couldn't. He owed the kid.

She widened her eyes and then suddenly, as if the boy had sonic hearing he was jerking away from his mom and rushing towards them. Sophia stood up and Daryl had to look away. He really hated that boy.

His eyes zeroed in on Carol who was still sitting against the car, her knees pulled up to her chest she gave him a small smile and shook her head a bit before she jumped up and ran towards him. He caught her around the waist and actually lifted her off the ground so they were face to face. She grabbed him by the head and kissed him hard. He returned the kiss with just as much force. How many times were they going to have to go through shit like this?

He finally sat her down on her feet but didn't let her go.

"I thought you got bit. I saw that..." She didn't finish her sentence because his lips were on hers again. He cupped her face, thumbs grazing across her cheekbones. He didn't want to hear her finish the sentence. He hated that she had been so afraid. Afraid for him. But he understood all too well. He had felt the same way.


	68. Chapter 68

**I have had some fun with the development of Sophia's character. She was pretty much uncharted territory since they didn't give us much to work with when it came to her in the show. So, really, anyone could go any direction with her. She could have continued on being that silent scared little kid but there would have been no fun in that! I wanted her to _want_ to be stronger. But in the process I've turned her into quite the hellion. But I love her anyway. And she eventually calms herself down. But not in this chapter. Hope you guys at least laugh. I did while writing it =) Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

Chapter Sixty Eight

Sophia was having a hard time keeping up with what all of the adults were arguing about. It didn't make any sense. They were arguing about where to go when there wasn't anywhere to go at all. She was sitting between Duane and Carl on the hood of a car. There was a dead body in the drivers seat but none of them seemed to even care about things like that anymore. As long as the body wasn't trying to eat her it really didn't bother her at all.

She stayed close to Carl. She had barely believed it when Daryl had said that _Carl_ had saved his life. She had to look at him in a whole different light now. Other than her mom Daryl was the most important person to her. Someone that she loved more than she even loved herself. And Carl Grimes had saved his life. The same stupid boy that just a few days ago was willing to march in the middle of a camp of psychos and ask for help. The same stupid boy that was willing to let Merle lay in that bed and die in that shack in the woods. But he wasn't that same stupid boy anymore. He had even lied for Merle when they made it out of the woods. Told the exact same lie that she had just been about to tell.

But despite all of that she also felt a little resentment. She hated herself for feeling that way towards him but at the moment, she did. She was just going to swallow it down and ignore it. But the truth was, she thought that he should have let her shoot that man. She had been relieved at first to know she hadn't done it, but now it just bothered her. Why did he think he could make that decision for her? She could have done it herself.

"What are you staring at?" he asked as his face reddened.

She shook her head and looked back towards the rest of the group. "Nothing."

Duane sighed. "You know, it feels weird. Last night when we were taking down those men, I knew we were doing the right thing. We were saving our people. And then this morning when those things were everywhere and we were shooting..." His voice trailed off as he glanced towards his friends. "I don't feel much like a kid anymore. I never thought I would ever have to kill like that."

Sophia searched his face but he didn't look upset. He just looked like he was thinking about it really hard. And then she sighed when she heard Carl agree.

"I never thought I would either. But we didn't have a choice. It isn't like it was. We have to protect our own. That's what we did. But I understand what you're saying. I don't feel much like a kid anymore either. Not after last night. Not after what I had to do this morning."

She tried to hold it back but she couldn't. Listening to them talk about it just made her even more angry. More than angry, she was down right pissed the hell off. She slid off the car hood and faced both boys with her hands on her hips. "I didn't get a chance to do a damn thing. I'm just as much a kid now as I was when I woke up yesterday morning. I'm a better shot than both of you. I know the guns better than both of you. And so far everyone is still treating me like I don't know what the hell I'm doing!"

Carl and Duane shared a look and then he tried to speak, "Sophia, I only..."

"Shut up, Carl. I could have helped this morning. Merle didn't even stop, he just took me straight to the first car he could find and shoved me in like I'm some baby that can't do anything."

Carl slid off the car and stepped right up to her so he was staring her in the eye. "I'm sorry." He said firmly. "But I don't blame Merle a bit for doing what he did. You being safe is a lot more important than you protecting everybody else."

"I don't need them trying to protect me all the time. I don't need you shooting men just so I wont have too. Just because you're a boy and I'm a girl doesn't mean that I can't do the same things you can. So stop treating me like I can't. I'm older than you."

He rolled his eyes. "By twelve weeks. That doesn't even count."

"I'm pissed off, Carl. It counts for now." She didn't even realize how loud her voice was getting.

Carl blew out a frustrated breath. "What do you want me say, Sophia? That Merle was wrong? That I was wrong?"

"Oh, like you would ever admit _that_." She snapped. She knew she was just lashing out because she was mad but she couldn't stop. She owed Carl, big time, but she wasn't going to give in. He should have let her shoot the guy. She had just as much, if not more, to prove than him or Duane did. In her own mind she was a Dixon now. She had a point to prove and as long as everyone went out of their way to keep her safe she would never be able to prove it.

"Oh, I can admit when I'm wrong." He said as he narrowed his eyes as his own voice grew louder. "I was wrong to think that I could have a conversation with you while your in one of your crazy moods. There, you happy now? I admitted it. I, Carl Grimes, was wrong."

"Oh, that's real cute, Carl." She glared. "So every time a conversation doesn't go the way you want it's because of how _I'm_ acting?"

"No, of course not. How could that be the case when _you're_ never wrong and everything that happens ends up being my fault?"

"Do you ever shut up? All you do is piss me off." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh, like that's news! You're always pissed off. Why don't you go kick something and get over it, _Daryl!_"

"Maybe I will. And maybe I'll start with your ass you jerk!"

Duane cleared his throat."Um, guys?"

"You're not hitting me again", Carl glared. "If you try it I swear I'll hold you down until you get over it. You got away with it once, I'm not going to be your punching bag."

"Oh, like you even could?" She took a step closer until she was right in his face. This was getting out of hand. He hadn't done anything to deserve her anger at first but now he was really starting to get under her skin.

"I could. And I don't even know why you're getting so mad over this. You're more grown up than me or Duane. You prove it every day when you act like a crazy woman! Which is what you're doing now, by the way."

"Guys!" Duane said again, louder this time.

"Shut _up_, Duane." They said in unison without looking at him.

"Maybe I wouldn't have to act like a crazy woman if you two didn't act like a couple of infants!" She growled.

"Like you're doing now?" He countered.

"That's it. This conversation is so over. From now on you wont have to deal with me being like that because I'm going to do us both a favor and stay the hell away from you." She was nearly yelling now. "Come on Duane."

"So you get all crazy for no reason and then you think _you_ get to run off with Duane? No way."

"Oh my god! You are such a child! He can hang out with whoever he wants." She glared at him and then looked behind him towards Duane who was simply shaking his head at them.

"_Me?_ I'm being a child?" Carl looked at her with wide eyes.

"Yes. You."

"Guys?" Duane tried one more time and now they both glared at him.

"What?" They snapped.

Duane pointed to something behind them. Sophia turned around and felt her cheeks flush. Every single person in their group was openly either gaping at them or laughing at them. They had heard everything that her and Carl had said. She had been so angry that she hadn't even noticed the silence that had fallen over everyone. Everyone except for her and Carl. Duane had been trying to get their attention. Apparently this was why.

Daryl and Merle were wearing matching grins and her own mom was hiding a small laugh behind her hand. Lori just stood there with her mouth open like the idiot she was and Rick was turning red trying to hold in his own laughter. This was awful! The whole group was staring.

~H~

Carol was shocked at the scene that had just unfolded before her. All the times that Daryl had expressed concern over those two she had just shrugged it off but this sounded exactly like a spat between two married adults. Maybe she should keep a closer eye on them. But Sophia had really given the poor boy hell and she couldn't help but feel a burst of pride for her girl. She didn't have to worry about Sophia being like her. Or the way she had been.

She leaned her back further into Daryl's chest and felt him laugh but he tried to keep it quiet.

"I told you." He whispered into ear.

"She is definitely something else." Carol muttered as she felt heat from his body seeping into her back. It was getting colder out in the open and the heat felt good.

"Yep." He said as his grip tightened around her waist. "Should we go talk to her or somethin'?

Carol shook her head. "I think they have it handled. I don't see Rick or Lori getting overly concerned."

Daryl snorted. "Course not."

"So we head west then? For as long as we can?" Rick asked after Sophia and Carl had both rejoined Duane on the hood of the car with flaming faces. Rick had wanted to head east but there was nothing east but eventually the coast. If they had to scavenge for food and shelter they would be better of heading west. Everyone was split on what to do.

Dale had apparently taken Randal under his wing, throwing a tantrum when Merle asked if they were going to leave the kid on the side of the road to fend for himself. They no longer had the R.V. No one thought it would be smart to go back to the farm. They still had a lot of supplies and guns. The rest was just lost, which was sad but going back for the rest wasn't worth any of their lives. They were lucky only to have lost three. It could have been worse. Much worse.

Daryl must have felt her body tensing because he tightened his arms around her waist and put his mouth back to her ear. "We'll be fine."

She believed him, even though she wasn't sure how that could be. Their future seemed very bleak. More bleak than it had before. When they had to abandon the quarry they had another destination in mind and when they left the CDC they found the farm almost right away. This was different. They were adrift in the madness that was now life.

Merle, Maggie and Sophia were going to take the truck and Daryl decided that he would take the bike. With her of course. She had never been on the back of a bike before and she was a little excited. The thing looked mean and dangerous, but then again, so did the Dixon's. That meant that they could ditch the car that Merle and Maggie had driven from the farm and the bike was much better as far as fuel went. Lori, Rick, Carl and Duane were going to take Ricks SUV. And so it went on until they had the minimal amount of vehicles to have to gas up while still keeping things comfortable.

After scavenging through the cars once more for clothes and anything else they could used they finally gassed up. Daryl was already on the bike and Merle was digging through some of the bags in the truck and finally pulled out a jacket. He tossed it to Carol. It was large and worn. She held it up, realizing that it was a black leather motorcycle jacket. She felt silly when she slipped it on. It would keep the wind off of her and that's what counted. She gave him a smile.

"Who'da thought it? You look like a Hells Angel, darlin'." He grinned.

"I look like a kid trying on her dads clothes." She grumbled as she held her arms up. Her hands were hidden in the huge sleeves.

"Blocks the wind. That's all that matters." He slapped her on the ass and then walked away towards the drivers side.

She gaped at him and then glanced at Daryl who was just shaking his head, like he expected no less from Merle. She couldn't help but laugh a little as she climbed on and wrapped her arms around his waist.

She pressed her face between the wings that were stitched into his vest and then just relaxed against him. It actually felt good, being able to be this close to him and she didn't have to worry about Sophia since she was with Merle. She wondered vaguely why no one had found it strange that Maggie had volunteered to ride in the truck with Sophia and Merle but no one had. Even Hershel had simply kissed her cheek and walked away. Poor clueless man.

Daryl was worried about his brother but she thought that it was pretty sweet how close him and Maggie were now. Merle needed someone like her. It would be good for him to be with a woman that would put him in his place when he needed it. And everyone knew that Merle needed that all the time. If they could find some happiness in this messed up world then so be it. They deserved one another.


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter Sixty Nine

They had driven for most of the day. The sun was starting to set and everyone followed Daryl's lead, pulling over to the side of the road. They were surrounded by trees, which Merle didn't like at all. If they were going to be out in the open it was better to be out in the open where you see what the hell was coming at you.

Everyone started piling back out of their vehicles, stretching and grumbling about cramped legs and aching backs. He smirked. These people were in for one hell of rude awakening. None of them other than his brother really seemed like the type that had ever had to spend a real cold night outside with no shelter, no heat. They would have to burn any fires they had too low to do much good to any of them and he knew they had to be starving by now. He knew he was.

He made sure he kept his distance from Maggie. Sophia was between them the whole way so there wasn't a problem in the truck but he didn't know about now. Everyone was going to be huddled together and he figured it would be best if they toned it down and stayed the hell away from each other for a while. He hated that too because he had never even gotten the chance to return that favor.

Daryl was coming towards him and Sophia, pulling Carol along by the hand. Merle had to admit, Carol was a cute little thing in that jacket. He smirked at them. Daryl was such a pussy. At least when he held Maggie's hand he made sure no one was looking. Just then the girl came around the truck and grabbed his hand. Son of bitch.

"I'm gonna go check on Beth and daddy. You wanna come?" She asked with a small smile.

He shook his head and then motioned towards Daryl as he tried to pull his hand out of hers. Her grip tightened. Goddamn it. He glanced towards Daryl, who was scowling. Now he was gonna have to listen to his brothers bullshit. It wasn't like that old man had a farm that he could even kick them off of in the first place.

Just when he thought that the girl couldn't get any more ballsy she pulled his face down towards hers and kissed him, right there in front of God, Daryl, her daddy, and the rest of all them nosy mother fuckers that were now looking at them. But mother fuck could this girl kiss, she kissed him completely stupid because he stopped worrying about everyone else and started kissing her back.

She was the one to pull away first and then she winked. "I figure that I would either have to stay away from you for good, sneak around behind everybodies back or say to hell with it. So I say to hell with it. Now, go on and throw your fit real quick before I go and get the lecture of my life for foolin' around with a dangerous Dixon."

"Goddamn it, girl." he growled and then glanced around. Everyone was acting busy. Some looking at the ground, others looking up at the sky or off towards the trees. Everyone except for Hershel who was staring, open mouthed, at them.

"He'll get over it." She said softly.

"Why the fuck did'ya go and do that for?" He hissed.

"Because I ain't gonna stay away from you. I don't want to and so I ain't. I ain't sneakin' around with you either." She turned around and walked away then. Not giving him a chance to say another word even though he had plenty to say.

"Looks like you done fucked up, brother." Daryl muttered as he turned and looked towards Hershel, who was now openly glaring at Merle.

"That old man is gonna shoot me in my sleep. The hell's wrong with that damn girl?" He shook his head and looked at Daryl.

Daryl just scowled at him. "You think maybe you shoulda thought of that before you screwed her?"

Merle felt is face pull down into a scowl of his own. "You don't nothin' about what the fuck goes on between me and her. Don't you fuckin' stand there and act like you do."

"Then what the fucks goin' on? If it ain't that then what is it?" Daryl countered stubbornly.

Merle was pissed. He wasn't going to stand here and get berated by his brother. The boy didn't know what the hell he was talking about and Merle wasn't about to fill him in on the shit that he missed. "Just drop it."

"I ain't gotta drop shi..."

"Daryl." Carol put a hand on his arm and he stopped mid sentence.

That was something that Merle could have easily messed with him about a few days ago. But not anymore. He knew exactly why his brother had shut his mouth when he did. He shoved away from the truck and walked towards the others. He did spare a glance towards Maggie who was standing there with her arms crossed while Hershel talked to her. He was probably trying to talk some sense into her head. Hell, Merle didn't believe the old man had enough years left in him to accomplish that. She was stubborn. Wouldn't listen to a damn thing anybody had to say.

Everyone was starting to gather around as Rick started talking. Apparently the dumb ass thought that this would be a good time to let everyone know what _he_ had decided _they_ were going to do. That shit was getting old real quick. Who the fuck did he think he was? So the fuck what if he used to be a cop. That shit didn't matter anymore. But Merle kept his mouth shut, just like he had told Sophia he would do.

"Are you mad?"

He looked down and there Maggie was, her expression serious. He grunted and looked away, back towards the jackass in the cop suit. "I doubt I'm as pissed as your daddy over there."

"He ain't mad anymore."

He shot her a look and then sighed. He hated this. He was still standing pretty far away from everyone else so he wasn't worried about anybody listening when he finally turned to face her. His arms were crossed over his chest. "What do ya want from me, Maggie?"

He had to just come right out and ask her. It was one thing to mess around. Sneaking off to cop a feel like a damn middle school kid. But this was turning into something a lot different and he didn't know what to do with it. He wasn't what she needed. He studied her face as her expression went from cautious to hurt. He was tired of trying to fight it, but he was terrified to embrace it. None of it made any sense to him.

She was quiet for a long time. Studying him just as intently as he had been studying her. Then she raised her chin and her eyes hardened a bit. "You. All I want from you is you, Merle."

Now what the fuck was he suppose to make of that?

"Merle!" Daryl called from somewhere in the throng of people that were gathered around Rick.

His eyes held hers for a few more seconds before he just turned and walked away. He didn't have anything else to say to her. Not right now. Maybe not ever.

~H~

Daryl squinted as he watched Merle walk away from the girl. Maggie was watching him walk away with a sad look on her face and Daryl couldn't help but wonder what the hell Merle had said to her. That move she had made was pretty brave. Stupid, but brave. Merle wasn't the type of guy that a girl needed to fall for. He was just... Merle. There really wasn't any other way to describe him.

Daryl met him half way and glanced back at Maggie once more. She was still watching Merle.

"What the hell was that all about?" Daryl asked as he gestured to where he had been standing with her.

"You're a nosy fucker, ain'tcha?" Merle snapped.

"Fuck you, Merle. You're the one messin' with her head, don't get pissed off and take it out on me."

Merle's eyes narrowed. Daryl knew that look well but he didn't avoid it like he would have before. He met it with a steely look of his own. If Merle was looking for a fight he would give him one. He didn't want too but he wasn't going to stand around and take Merle's shit either and to Daryl's surprise it was Merle who finally looked away. Glancing behind him and then facing him once more.

"I ain't fuckin' with her head you dumb dick. She's fuckin' with mine. Now what the hell ya want? I was busy."

Daryl snorted. "I gotta go on a hunt. We ain't got shit to eat and everybody's hungry."

Merle nodded. "Ya need me to go to?"

Daryl shifted from one foot to the other. And looked away. "No."

Merle frowned. "What the fuck ya call me over here for then?"

Daryl blew out a breath and looked back at him. "Can you look after'em while I'm gone?"

Merle's frown deepened. He could tell Daryl hadn't even wanted to ask him to do that but the truth was Merle was the only person that he knew wouldn't let anything happen to them and if he said no then there was no way in hell Daryl was going anywhere. But they needed to eat and he was the only one here that knew what the hell he was doing in the woods other than Merle himself. He looked like he was half expecting Merle to tell him to go to hell so when Merle just smiled slightly Daryl's eyes widened a bit.

"Sure thing, little brother." He shrugged. "Thought you were dead and I was gonna be stuck with'em for the rest of my goddamn life. I can handle it for a few hours." Daryl couldn't keep the shock off his face and then Merle was smirking at him. "What? Have I really been that bad? That you didn't even think you could ask me somethin' like that without givin' ya shit over it?"

~H~

Daryl was about to lie and tell him no but then decided against it because that was exactly what he thought Merle would do. "Yeah, you have."

Merle actually winced and was silent for a few long seconds before he regained himself. "I guess I earned that. A few times over probably." He sighed. "But I don't guess I did to bad a job on ya. Turned out to be a better man than I'll ever be." He clapped him on the shoulder and then walked towards the others.

Daryl was too stunned to move for a few seconds. What the fuck had just happened? Where the hell had that shit come from? Did it bother Merle that bad? Thinking he was dead? He shook his head, adjusted his bow and started walking away.

"Daryl!" He heard Rick yell behind him.

He turned around and walked back over to the group.

Rick pointed towards his left and T-dog waved. "Take T with you. No one goes anywhere alone." Rick said, his voice ringing with the finality of the statement.

"Are you fuckin' high? He can't hunt, he's scared of animals for Christs sake." Daryl didn't miss the look T-dog was giving him but he didn't give a shit a the moment. It wasn't like he was going hunting for fun. He had people to feed. He couldn't have T-dogs clumsy ass scaring away all the game.

"No one goes alone." Rick said again.

Daryl felt like kicking something. Starting with Ricks ass. He hushed that thought when he remembered that it was the same exact thing Sophia had said to Carl before they had all headed out. That fucking kid really was just like him. But he was too damn pissed to even enjoy that thought.

"I can do it, Daryl. You just have to show me what to do." T-dog said, giving him an annoyed look.

"We can't be shootin' guns out there. You got a bow on you? You gonna take down an animal with a knife?" Daryl growled.

Rick sighed. "I just want him to go as back up in case something happens Daryl."

"Is 'at right? Fuck you, Rick. If we starve this is on your head." Daryl spun around and stormed off towards the trees. He could hear T-dog hurrying to catch up with him.

"I'll keep quiet." T-dog said when he caught up with him just past the treeline. "You wont even know I'm here."

Daryl snorted and glared at him.

"I mean it. I'll keep my mouth closed."

"Shut it, Tonto. I got a kid to feed. You scare away anything I can catch and I'll feed her your leg."

"That's just nasty." T-dog shook his head.

Daryl grinned when he knew the other man wasn't looking.

~H~

Merle sat with his back against the trunk of a tree, Sophia keeping close but far enough away that she wasn't bothering him. She was smart like that. He kept an eye on her and Carol, just like he told his brother he would. He felt like a grade A prick. He was a prick for the way he was treating Maggie when in all honesty the girl didn't ask him for a thing, and probably expected him to deliver less than that. And then earlier, his own brother, the one person in the world that mattered the most to him, wasn't even sure if he would keep an eye on his woman and Sophia. It was then he finally understood how big of an asshole he really was.

He didn't know what he planned on doing about Maggie, maybe try to cut her loose for good since that would be the best thing for her in the long run, but he was going to make it up to his brother. His whole life Daryl was the one thing he gave a shit about and it was high time he showed it. He didn't know how but he would. As long as Daryl would give him a chance.

He looked up when he saw someone coming towards him. He was half hoping Maggie was coming over so he could finally tell her he was done with all of it. The thought made his chest ache. What a fucking pussy. But, to his sudden relief, that wasn't who was making their slow way towards him. Instead it was Hershel. He probably had a gun in that bag he was carrying. Coming to blow Merle's fool brains out for fooling around with his little girl.

When Hershel finally sat down in front of him the two of them looked at each other for a few long moments before Hershel started rummaging through the bag.

"You gonna shoot me now?" Merle asked, deadpan.

Hershel paused and met his eyes once more and then shook his head. "I'd like too."

Merle nodded. He already knew that much anyway. This wasn't news to him. "What'cha got in that bag if it ain't a gun?"

Hershel finally started sitting out the supplies that were now familiar to Merle. The old man was still gonna take care of the mess at the end of his arm. It was actually healing up pretty well and didn't look half as bad as Merle feared it would. He unwound the bandages without a word, but that was his usual way. Unfortunately his silence didn't last.

"Do you plan on hurtin' her?" Hershel asked after a while.

Merle leaned his head back against the tree and looked past the old man to the spot where his brother had disappeared. "No." He said, and he meant it.

Hershel glanced up as soon as Merle looked at him again. "I guess that's about all I can ask from a man like you."

"The fuck ya mean, a man like me?" Merle growled. He knew the old man had every right to be pissed off but he wasn't going to sit here and listen to any bullshit.

Hershel continued on with his work without glancing up again. "A man that, from what I hear, is about as dangerous as they come. You don't think I have a right to worry about my girl when she tells me she cares for someone that everybody in this group is afraid of?"

"You don't know me. Other than what you heard from somebody else. I suppose you heard that shit from Rick? Cause we know that mother fucker is a great judge of character. It was your daughter that had to put a bullet through his best friends brain."

Hershel just looked at him for a long moment and then went back to his work. "What are your plans, Merle? For Maggie."

Merle let out a bitter laugh. "Ahh, you know. Figure I'd get me a decent payin' job. Get hitched real proper like. Buy ourselves one of them fancy double wides, have about five kids."

Hershel glared at him.

Merle blew out a breath and looked away again. "I ain't got no plans, Hershel. Maybe I'll give stayin' away from her a shot. But she don't make that too easy. And just so you know, I ain't laid a damn hand on her. I never would hurt her. I'm a lot of things. I was a drug addict. I was a drunk. I'm a murderer. But I ain't never put my hands on a woman."

Hershel shook his head. "I never really believed you would. Maggie is stubborn, impulsive and as strong willed as any woman I've ever known. But she's smart. I have to give her that. If she trusts you then I have no choice but to trust you too."

Well, this was going in a whole different direction. He'd just told the old man that he has killed and it rolled right off his damn back. Merle didn't know what to make of the man giving up that easy. "Ain't no reason for you to trust me. And ain't no reason for ya to get yourself worked up either cause I meant what I said. I ain't got no plan in mind. Maybe keepin' her at a distance would be the best thing for now."

Hershel's eyes shot up from the gauze he was gently wrapping around the stump. "You know, for all you're flaws, I never took you for a liar, Merle." The old man said quietly.

"I ain't lyin'."

"You just told me you didn't plan on hurting my daughter. I think that's the very thing you could do to hurt her the most."

Merle had a sinking feeling in his stomach as the old man took his things and left him there alone once more.

**Poor Merle. He's so conflicted. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter because, for some reason, I really enjoyed writing it. I guess because I like writing Merle. Makes sense to me. Have a great morning! Thanks for the reviews!**


	70. Chapter 70

**I'm hoping you enjoy this chapter since the first part of it is pretty much Daryl and T-dog and their lovely bromance. Hopefully it makes you laugh. And Merle finally repays an old favor ;) Thanks for reading and reviewing and of course for still sticking with this =) It's a tad bit smutty. I haven't written much of that lately Haha **

Skin Deep Chapter Seventy

Daryl was pleasantly surprised that T-dog had actually kept his mouth shut. He was also pretty light on his feet for a city boy and seemed genuinely interested in watching Daryl hunt. Of course, all he ended up catching were squirrels and a few decent sized rabbits but after a few hours he thought he had enough to feed the group. Enough to keep them all from starving anyway. At least for the day. It was dark now and they were picking their way silently back towards camp.

"I'm starving." T-dog said, finally breaking the silence.

Daryl glanced at him and then stopped. He hid a grin as he lifted up the string of squirrels. "You want me to cut one up real quick. We can share."

T-dog rolled his eyes. "We can't build a fire and sit around eating while the rest of our people are at camp with their stomachs growling. Damn, Dixon."

"We ain't gotta have a fire, stupid."

T-dog frowned. "Okay, how the hell we gonna cook those nasty things without a fire?"

Daryl fixed his face into a look of confusion. "Cook'em? The fuck you talkin' about? If you're hungry we can just cut'em open and eat'em."

T-dog stared at him for a few long moments before speaking. "You're serious." It wasn't a question.

Daryl nodded. "Yep. Here, I'll show you." He pulled out a knife and grabbed one of the dead animals by the neck without even unstringing it.

T-dog reached out and grabbed him by the wrist, carefully avoiding touching the dead thing. "No. Put that damn knife away. What the hell is wrong with you?" He looked like he was going to be sick.

Daryl shrugged but put the knife away. "You said you was hungry. Figured me and you could eat. What's wrong with that?"

"I ain't never been hungry enough to eat some disease ridden, flea infested animal," He swallowed loudly, "raw. You gotta be the nastiest man I ever met." he gave him that disgusted look again and shook his head."Nasty." He repeated as he started walking again.

Daryl just scoffed. "Pussy."

T-dog shook his head. "Hell no. Wont eat that raw either."

Daryl couldn't help but laugh. He laughed until his stomach ached. Laughing felt good. It was normal to laugh. T-dog did a good job of keeping his face screwed into that look of disgust which only made it worse.

When Daryl had managed to quiet himself T-dog looked at him questioningly. "Man, was that brother of yours kissin' on Maggie earlier? What the hell is going on with that?"

Daryl felt all the remnants of humor leave him and he scowled. "No idea. Caught'em screwin' around a few times. Figured they was bored and decided to kill some time on the farm. But I guess that ain't the case."

T-dog made another disgusted sound. "I gotta admit that if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here right now, but I gotta say it. Merle Dixon is the meanest son of a bitch I've ever met. He's bat shit crazy and has the foulest mouth of any man I have ever known and he gets a girl like Maggie? You throw dead things at people, always getting in someones face and you eat raw squirrel guts and you got yourself the whole damn package. And here I am, fine upstandin' citizen from a good family. I'm non confrontational, I'm quiet, polite, respectful. And I cook my damn food before I eat it. It don't make any sense. Hell I'm a lot prettier than you Dixons, too. There's a lot more wrong with the world than we realize. It's all backwards."

Daryl scoffed. "You ain't prettier than me, Tonto."

"I am too. Look at me. I'm a beautiful man. You always look like you done rolled around in a mud puddle."

Daryl could see the break in the trees and the telltale flickering of camp fires. He had been silently working a squirrel from the line around his waist. "So you think I'm just a nasty dirty redneck, huh?" He asked.

"Pretty much, my friend." T-dog muttered.

Daryl figured it was as good a time as any. He swung his arm around quickly and caught T-dog right in the face with the small corpse. "You ain't very nice, Tonto."

T-dog was stunned. His eyes were wide as he touched the side of his face. "You sick son of a bitch!" he lunged but Daryl sidestepped him and then bolted for the camp.

~H~

After the food was divided up there hadn't been much. Merle had watched Sophia eat hers as slow as possible, to stretch it out as long as she could. When she had turned her head to talk to Carol he had picked up half of his own portion and sat it on her plate before she turned back to her food. She had looked down curiously but then just shrugged and continued eating.

Maggie had stayed away. She mostly spent her time with her sister. The poor kid looked really shaken up and Merle couldn't blame her.

He had volunteered to take first watch, which everyone acted like they would surely go into shock. But he wasn't sleepy. He was having a hard time shutting his brain off at all. The old mans words kept bouncing around in his head. How the hell did he know anyway? Hershel didn't know what the hell he was talking about. She'd be fine. She just didn't like the thought of getting turned down, that was all. It didn't have anything to do with him hurting her or not. What the hell did he care, anyway?

Everyone settled down as close to the fires as they could get. They all huddled together trying to share heat. Even Dale and T-dog were sleeping close together. He would have laughed if it wasn't for the fact that they were in a bad situation. And he was feeling sorry for himself because, to be honest, at least Dale and T-dog were going to be a little warm. Warmer than him, anyway. He was the odd man out. He guessed he could have slept with his brother. Him and Carol had Sophia between them, doing what they could to keep the kid warm. He'd have gladly laid down next to Carol but she was the closest to the fire so he couldn't do that. It would have looked a lot better than if he woke up and everyone was staring at him cuddled up with a grown man. He shook his head.

He stayed back near the trees while Glen kept watch closer to the road. If anything came they would hear it. Walkers weren't known for stealth. That was one good thing about them. Carol had brought him his jacket earlier. He tried to convince her that he didn't need it but it did him no good so he eventually took it and she walked away wordlessly.

That had been a couple hours ago. Hopefully by tomorrow night they would find some sort of shelter. He wasn't against sleeping on the ground so much but there was a lot more people to worry about now. It wasn't just him and his brother. It was almost twenty other people to keep a watch for. Women, kids, old people. What a fucking mess.

He pulled his knees up, wrapping his arms around them firmly. He looked up when he heard footsteps in the distance and then he almost cursed out loud when he saw who it was.

"Want some company?" Maggie whispered as she wrapped a flimsy jacket around herself tighter. She was shivering.

He just looked up at her for a few seconds and then shrugged.

She sat down next to him but not so close that she was touching him. He tried to tell himself that this was a good thing but inside his stomach did a strange flip. He could hear her teeth chattering and finally looked over at her. Her arms were wrapped around herself.

He told himself that it was because he didn't want to see her sitting there freezing to death but really he just wanted her to be closer. He straightened out his legs, grabbed her by the jacket and pulled her across his lap until her back was pressed against his chest. He took off the leather jacket and then draped it over her before settling back against the tree.

"Thanks, Merle." She whispered as she settled herself into him more.

"Can't have ya freezin' to death over here. This group would have a grand ol' time blamin' me for it." He grumbled.

She didn't say anything for a long time and when she did it wasn't anything he wanted to hear. "Merle, would you really rather me just leave you be? Do you want me to stay away? Sometimes I think you want me too go but other times I ain't so sure.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Is that what he wanted? He knew the answer. He didn't want that at all. The thought of her leaving him alone made him feel half sick. But the thought of him letting her the rest of the way in made him even sicker. He was a man that was torn. And she was a girl that wanted an answer.

"I guess I got my answer." She whispered after the silence grew heavy around them. She pulled away from him, about to stand up and walk away. Probably for the last time.

He let her raise up but when she turned to hand him the jacket his hand clamped down on her wrist and he yanked her back towards him without even thinking about it. He had had every intention of letting her walk away and end all this craziness that she had started but he couldn't. There had been a finality to her words this time that had his gut clenching in fear. This was it for her. She was going to walk away and she was going to leave him alone. The thought scared the hell out of him.

He had pulled her to him so hard that she had landed in his lap once more. She was facing him, uncertainty clouding her features. She had found him in that barn, open and bleeding and she had faced that tragic mess with a grim determination and a quiet strength that had blown him away. She had came to his room, stubborn and refusing to let him sink back into himself where he was comfortable. He had watched her face down rapists and Walkers with a brave face. But now she showed uncertainty? This was what would cause that shadow of fear to take root in her?

Him? Some scarred up piece of redneck trash? It didn't make any sense but it did cause himself to have to reevaluate himself a little. Made him dare to hope that there was something in him that someone, other than his brother, found salvageable. Even Hershel hadn't wanted him to leave her alone.

He made the hard decision then. He needed her. He wasn't going to be able to let her go. He just had to dive right in and hope to God or whoever was listening that he wouldn't end up hurting her.

She was still looking at him with that fear clear in her eyes and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't find any words for her as he struggled with these thoughts. He brought a shaky hand up to the side of her face. She leaned into his palm, eyes searching his but he couldn't open his mouth. He couldn't say anything that he wanted to say. He thought maybe he could since she had already seen him at his weakest but he couldn't do it.

Instead he brought his lips to hers and kissed her lightly. He'd never kissed her before. He had kissed her back but had never kissed her first. He hoped that she would just know. Know that he was trying to tell her how he felt even though he himself wasn't even sure what it was he was feeling. He just knew that he didn't want to be the cause of that look in her eyes and he needed to fix the mess he had made.

"Does this mean you don't want me to leave ya be?" She whispered when he finally pulled his face back from hers and let his hand drop.

He nodded.

Her lips twitched but she fought off a smile. "And you're gonna stop pushin' me away?"

He nodded once more, still not finding his voice.

"And you're gonna tell the rest of group that I'm your girlfriend?"

He frowned and narrowed his eyes. His voice was back. "That's stupid." he scoffed.

She gave him a severe look then shifted in his lap so she was pressed against him firmly. "I ain't just gonna be your plaything, Merle." She lifted one eyebrow.

"You ain't." He said, his voice was huskier than normal.

She moved again until her knees were pressing against his hips, her torso flush with his. He could feel the steady hammering of her heart. "I ain't?

He shook his head and her mouth was on his, hungry and seeking. He had to hold back a groan as his arms went around her waist and pressed her against him even harder. He had missed this. Missed _her._ So he hated pulling his face away from hers once more.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I ain't gonna be able to keep watch with you all over me, darlin'. Best if we save all the foolin' around for when the lives of the whole damn group ain't dependin' on me payin' attention to what's goin' on." Even as he said it he was slipping his hand up the back of her shirt and then brought it around until his rough hands were barely grazing her soft skin. Her mouth found his again, her nails digging in gently on the back of his neck. She moved her hips hesitantly over him.

He pulled his mouth away again and then time he pushed her back a little. "Goddamn it, girl. You gotta stop. Go to sleep or somethin'." He pleaded.

She smiled at him and then unwound her arms from around his neck. "Fine." She turned around and leaned her back against his broad chest once again and covered herself with his coat. But now all he could think about was her ass pressing into the hardness in his pants. She settled her head between his neck and his shoulder and tilted back a little. "You still owe me, Merle. Don't be forgettin' about that." She turned her head and kissed his jaw, wiggling just a bit so he would know that she knew exactly how hard he was.

He growled low in his throat and then caught her earlobe with his teeth, almost causing her to cry out as his hand slid around and then down until he felt the heat between her legs. He pressed the heel of his hand against the heat there then dragging his hand up and down until she was moving against him herself, which caused him a lot of stress because as his hand moved against her, her ass was moving against him.

Her breath was becoming ragged and he thought he knew why. She'd probably messed around with plenty of boys. But probably never someone that knew as much about this kind of thing as he did. The frustrated sound that emerged from the back of her throat was confirmation enough and then she turned her head so her face was close to his. "Merle, please..." She whispered, eyes wild.

"Please what?" He was having a hard time controlling his own voice. She was driving him crazy but he couldn't bring himself to stop touching her. Not when he knew that this was really what she wanted. Knew that _he_, for whatever reason, was what she wanted.

"Do somethin'." She snapped, her voice strained and desperate.

He still had to keep his head out here. Technically he was still on watch so there wasn't much he could do at all. Other than what he was already doing. And then he had an idea. It was probably going to kill him, but she did say please. There was something in that small plea that had him almost grinding against her. "Take'em off for me, sugar." he rasped. Jesus Christ this was going to be painful for him.

She didn't hesitate at all. She pressed all of her weight into his chest as she brought herself up and shoved the jeans over her hips, kicking them the rest of the way off and then bringing herself back down. His breath caught in his throat. God, he was one masochistic mother fucker.

In the bedroom he had wanted her but that want was driven by anger and humiliation. This want was driven by a raw _need_. She didn't feel sorry for him. She simply wanted to be with him and that made this more painful than what went on in that bedroom. He could smell her arousal, or he imagined he could, either way it was causing him to want her on such a primal level that he had to clench his teeth and take deep and even breaths because if he did what he wanted too then the whole camp would end up dead because there was no way he would be able to focus on anything but her. It was already hard to keep his ears alert for the sounds of the shuffling through the trees.

Her breath was already frantic and he hadn't even touched her yet. He was almost afraid to touch her now but he did anyway. His fingers moved over her slowly at first, exploring her like he had never explored anything in his life. And Jesus she was wet, her whole body seeming to hum against him and he hadn't done much at all. He took a deep breath and then slid one finger inside.

"Son of a bitch," He breathed as he wondered how the fuck he was ever going to be able to fit himself in there. The way she was gripping just one finger he wasn't too sure how this would ever work. He started moving his thumb up and down on her lightly while he curved his finger inside her, it was only a few seconds later he was shooshing in her ear and she had to clamp her mouth shut to keep from crying out as she started to come. Her whole body seemed to twitch and convulse on top of him as her breath came out in small shallow gasps. He moved a little faster, trying to draw it out as long as he could as her body let loose, vibrating over him one second and then grinding against him painfully the next. When she finally went still he pulled his hand away.

She relaxed against him, not saying anything at all until her breathing returned to normal. He leaned his head against the rough bark and shook his head. It was still a little sore from when he had slammed it into the wall of the barn. He trailed his hand back under her shirt and traced light patterns onto her stomach, causing her to shiver, he could feel goosebumps on her smooth skin.

"You should try to go get some sleep." He muttered into her hair.

She shook her head and then the evil girl turned in his lap. For just a second her thought that he was going to come in his pants like some horny little kid. As soon as she lowered her naked self back on him. "Tryin' to run me off?" She asked into his ear.

"No." He said simply. "But we're gonna head out early from what Rick says. And somebody'll be here to relieve me soon. My luck it'll be your damn daddy."

"Why can't we just do this?" She asked quietly.

"Huh?" He wanted to pretend that he didn't know what she was talking about but he did, and at that moment his body agreed and asked his head the same question. He was already close to busting through his own fucking zipper. Hell he felt how bad she actually wanted too.

She raised up onto her knees and put her hand on the bulge in his pants. He held his breath as she undid his button and then worked the zipper down. "How much time do we have?" She whispered as she locked her eyes onto his. "Before one of us ends up dead?"

"Plenty." He breathed and then he stopped her with a hand on her hip before she could try anything. He wasn't doing this. Not yet.

She blew out a frustrated breath but didn't try to move her body closer to his. "You're a real stubborn ass, Merle." She grumbled but there was a hint of a smile on her face.

"And you're the damn devil, girl." He growled as she took him in her hand, scooting back a little and then lowering her head.


	71. Chapter 71

**With everything else that has been going on in this story I haven't been able to give you very much Caryl, which is what the whole story is suppose to be about to begin with. I haven't given much Caryl smut either, which is shameful of me as a writer, I know. But I hear you loud and clear so here is some more. It's a little angry. lol But sometimes that is fun ;) Hope you all have a great weekend and stay safe! =)**

Chapter Seventy One

Life on the road was wearing everyone down. Almost four weeks had passed since the farm had been overrun. Daryl did what he could to keep everyone fed but there were so many mouths to feed now that no matter how long he hunted, no matter how much food he brought back, it never seemed to be enough. They were slowly starving.

They had fought off smaller herds than the one that had taken the farm. They were always fighting something. They were fighting the cold, the hunger, the ever present fear, the Walkers. They were on the run again, another herd had come through their makeshift camp that morning and they had almost lost several people. Dale and Amy had just been coming out of the woods after a run to a small creek to get water when the things came. It had been Carl who saved them both. It wasn't even something that became a big deal anymore. The boy did what he had too. He was thanked. Life went on.

They had been driving for a while before Daryl pulled the bike over. According to a map that they had grabbed at a gas station they had looted a few days ago there was suppose to be a town up ahead. So far they had avoided places like that, the risk of Walkers was too high, but now they were desperate. They could scavenge through houses if the stores were picked clean. Surely they would be able to find something. Even if it was just clothes or blankets. Anything was better than what they were living with now. Which was basically nothing.

"You okay?" Carol asked as he stood next to the bike. She asked him that a lot now days.

She climbed off the back of the bike and smiled at him. No matter how bad shit got she always had a smile for him. It wasn't having the same effect that it used to have. He was failing her and she still looked at him like he held all the answers. She looked at him like he had it in his power to save them. He looked away. "I'm fine." He lied.

The others were piling out of their vehicles. Rick approached him warily. No one spoke much anymore. It was a waste of energy and no one had anything to say unless they were trying to figure out their next move. They weren't living. They were surviving. Daryl was all too familiar with that feeling.

"Another mile or so to go and we'll hit that town." Daryl said glumly. "Figure we can drive in another half mile and then walk it just in case it's overrun too. Don't need'em hearin' us comin'."

"You think it's a good idea for us all to go at once?" Rick asked as he squinted back towards where the others were hanging back. Merle and Maggie were making there way towards them now.

Daryl shrugged. "I ain't leavin' mine. It's up to you whether you leave yours here or not."

Rick gave him a hard look and then shook his head before turning to walk away. Merle took his place.

"What's the plan, little brother?" He asked without much enthusiasm.

"Drive in about half mile and hoof it the rest of the way."

Merle just nodded and turned to go.

"Merle?" Carol's quiet voice had him turning back to face her. "Go on ahead, tell the others we'll take the rear."

Merle glanced at Daryl who gave a short nod.

"The hell you doin'?" He asked when Merle was out of ear shot.

"We need to talk." She said simply.

He eyed her for a few long seconds and then glanced up as the others started driving past them. When they were all passed he looked back at her expectantly. Her arms were crossed and she was giving him that look that he knew meant he had fucked up somehow. "Bout what?"

"About you." She said, sounding down right angry now.

He snorted. "We don't have time for..." He couldn't finish what he was about to say because she grabbed him around the back of the head and suddenly his mouth was crushed under hers. He'd forgotten that she was a lot stronger than she looked. Especially lately. How long had it been since he had actually kissed her? He wasn't even sure anymore. So much time was spent looking out or finding food or running that this wasn't something they could do like they did on the farm. Her lips parted against his and as soon as his tongue met hers his arms came around her, barely fazed by how much thinner she was since last time he had held her this way. He could feel it even through the bulk of Merle's leather jacket. He didn't want to think about that.

He didn't let her pull away when she tried. He needed this too bad to let her go now. She chuckled low in her throat when his hands slipped into the open front of the jacket and then up her sides. He wanted more, knew he couldn't have it, and trailed his lips down her jaw and to her throat anyway.

She finally gave him a small push against his chest and he gave up. It wasn't smart to get distracted out here anyway. He looked at her expectantly, his lips twitching up in a crooked grin when he saw that same want in her eyes.

"I want you to stop." She said after a few seconds.

"I just did." He frowned.

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms back over his chest, not letting him look away, even though his mood was coming down quickly and he wanted to look at anything but at her. "Daryl, you have to stop. I don't know what it is that's been in your head these last few weeks but you're building this wall and I can't stand it anymore."

Well, at least this topic was serving one purpose. It was definitely killing the hard on that he didn't have time to deal with at the moment. He sighed and leaned against the bike. "I ain't. Things ain't like they was on the farm. You know that. I lose focus one time and people could die."

"You aren't responsible for everyone, Daryl. We're going to lose people. No matter how careful we are or how prepared we are, people are going to die. You and Rick can't stop that. Merle can't either. It's just how it is."

Her words caused his empty stomach to ache. He knew that he had more of an obligation to her and Sophia than he did the rest of the group, but that didn't mean he didn't try his damndest to help Rick keep the others safe as well. And every time he looked at her or Sophia he felt the weight of failure dragging him down. To know that he was trying his hardest, and failing them anyway. It would be different if he was slacking off. If he was just half assed doing what he was suppose to do, but he wasn't. He was doing everything he could and it just wasn't enough. He couldn't stand to feel powerless and that was exactly how he felt. And she was basically confirming his fears. People were going to die and nothing him or Rick did was going to be able to keep it from happening. "Good to know you got some faith, Carol." He snapped.

Her eyes hardened. "I have more faith in you than anything else. Stop being stupid! You're about the only thing I have faith in anymore."

"Sounds like it. Get on, we're wastin' time." He straddled the bike and looked at her with narrowed eyes.

She glared at him. "So it's already to this point now? You wont even talk to me?"

"We talked. You reminded me that no matter how hard I try, it wont be enough. I already knew that. I don't need you throwin' it in my fuckin' face."

She crossed her arms over her chest once more and didn't make a move for the bike. "That is not what I'm saying at all. You should know better than that. All I'm saying is that this," She gestured towards him, "Whatever _this_ is, isn't working. You act just like you did at the quarry and it scares the hell out of me."

"That man at the quarry saved you and this whole goddamn group. The one on the farm, that man, he got fuckin' kidnapped and almost had to watch his woman get raped by the jolly green fuckin' giant. I think maybe that this shit," now he was the one gesturing around them, "this shit is a job for the man at the quarry. There ain't no fuckin' room for mistakes anymore. You want someone that's gonna try to keep you alive or do you want someone with his head in the clouds? Cause you can't have'em both, Carol. We ain't got time for bullshit."

She stared at him, her face was hard to read. He couldn't tell if he had really pissed her off or if he had really hurt her. Either way, he felt sick. He believed that what he told her was the truth but maybe he could have found a better way to articulate it.

"Get on." he growled.

She shook her head and turned around, storming off towards the small town where the others were surely waiting for them.

"Son of a bitch." He muttered as he got off the bike once more and started following her. "What the fuck do you think you're doin'?" He caught up with her and grabbed her by the arm. She jerked out of his grip and then faced him. He saw it then, she was a little bit of both. Or a lot of both. Either way, she was pissed off and hurt. Angry tears were causing her wide eyes to shine in the sunlight.

She surprised him by shoving him, she couldn't really do much damage but it was with enough force to startle him a bit. He hadn't ever seen her raise her hand to anyone. Not even Ed and that man would beat the shit out of her. It almost made him feel good. She wasn't afraid of him at all. She knew she could do whatever she wanted to do to him and he wouldn't ever hurt her.

"Go to hell, Daryl." She snapped. "You're a real asshole. If I wanted to spend my time with an asshole I would go hang out with your brother. At least he's up front about it."

"Carol, get on the goddamn bike." He grabbed for her again but she spun away from him.

"You get on the bike. I'll make it in good time. Go sulk by yourself, I'm sick of looking at it."

She turned again and started walking away. This time he grabbed her around the waist, spun her around and threw her right over his shoulder. She didn't weigh anything and the fight that she had in her wasn't enough to even break his stride as he carried her to the bike. He was really going to pay for this but he didn't care. He didn't have time for one of her woman fits right now. She could save it for when they weren't right out on the open.

"Put me down, Daryl." She snapped as she wiggled around. Once her elbow even caught him in the side of the head, causing him to grunt in pain.

He was scowling. He walked past the bike and dumped her right there in the grass, she landed hard on her ass. He rubbed the spot on his head where her sharp elbow had actually made contact. "What the hells wrong with you?" He glared down at her, sitting there where she had landed. At first she looked stunned and then she got pissed. Really pissed.

Shit.

"You son of a bitch." She snapped as she quickly stood up and came at him.

He almost wanted to laugh. She was nothing but a little slip of a thing anymore but she was coming right at him with all the fury of a hurricane. He knew she couldn't hurt him but that didn't mean he wanted to give her a chance to do anything to him so he started backing up. "Carol, calm the fuck down."

"You're a jackass." She growled as she still made her way towards him, face set in anger, eyes flashing wildly. He had never seen her like this.

He was still backing up as she advanced. She caught up with him easily but right before she could really get in his face and let him have it he tripped over something in the grass and now it was him on his ass. She towered over him.

"I'm walking. You don't make decisions for me. You don't tell me what to do and you sure as hell don't try to force me to do what you want. Get your own ass on your bike and I'll meet you there."

She tried to storm away but he grabbed her ankle and gave it a quick jerk. They didn't have time for this shit and he was done. He wouldn't let her walk all the way to that town alone, he wasn't going to leave the bike and follow her, she was going to listen to him whether she liked it or not.

She fell when he jerked the ankle. He must have been more rough than he had meant too. She rolled over, growled at him and actually tried to kick him. He grabbed her foot and drug her towards him, leaning over her and trying to glare at her, even though it was hard because he really liked seeing her with this much fight in her. It would have been great if they were somewhere else but they weren't and she had to stop.

"Are you done?" He snapped, narrowing his eye.

"Not. Even. Close." She grunted as she tried to scurry backwards. He grabbed her again and pulled so she was practically pinned down with half of his body. "Get off of me, Daryl." She tried to push him away but he grabbed her hands and shoved them over her head, leaning down so his face was only inches from hers.

"Stop it. Are you fuckin' crazy? You're gonna get us both killed."

She tried to knee him but he blocked it and then moved so now he was holding her down with all of his weight, he just hoped that he wasn't crushing her, but he wasn't going to let her get up. She could fight him all she wanted later. She wasn't walking away. "Get off of me!" She hissed and then dug her heels into the soft soil and actually tried to buck him off of her.

"Goddamn it, stop." He growled. She really wasn't succeeding in making him want to get off of her. What she was doing was bucking against him wildly and that angry look in her eyes and the hard set of her mouth as she kept on trying to fight him was driving him crazy.

"Fuck you." She grunted as she tried once more to buck him off.

That was it. Everything she was doing was bad enough but he wasn't used to her talking like that at all. And for some reason, he liked it. He ducked his head down and bit down on the delicate skin right below her ear, maybe a little too hard because she let out a whimper that had him letting go. He moved his lips up.

"Fuck you, huh?" he growled right into her ear. "That what you want, Carol?" He drawled out her name and then his tongue slid down the outer shell of her ear. He wasn't much of a talker when it came to this stuff. He didn't know where the hell it was coming from but he wasn't shutting up. "Because I can, right here on the side of the road." He kissed the angry red spot where his teeth had been earlier. "All you gotta do is tell me. Tell me you want me to fuck you right here, Carol, and that's what I'll do."

"Daryl..." She breathed and he finally let go of the painful grip he had on her wrists. She wasn't fighting anymore. She pulled his mouth down to hers and kissed him fiercely. He slipped his head down from her mouth back to her throat.

"Is that what you want?" He hummed as he kissed another sensitive spot behind her ear.

"Yeah," she breathed as she dug her nails into the back of his neck.

"Then say it." he growled and bit her once more, lighter than he had before. "Tell me that ya want me to fuck you." Just the thought of her saying something like that just about had him coming in his own pants. And wouldn't that be a real bitch right now.

"I want..." She paused as she panted heavily, "I _need_ you too."

It wasn't what he wanted to hear. He almost felt like some sick pervert, but he had to hear her say it. "Whatch'ya _need _me to do?" he whispered right into her ear in a slow drawl that had her shivering under him.

"I _need_ you to fuck me." She finally whispered when she realized he wasn't going to do anything until she told him too.

His heart nearly leaped out of his chest and a fresh wave of blood flew south, as if it wasn't already bad enough, now it felt like he was going to rip through his jeans. He pushed himself up onto his knees and yanked her pants off, he glanced around quickly, just to make sure there were no Walkers, as he undid his own, he wasn't even going to be able to take them off at all, as soon as he had himself free, and knew the coast was clear, he was right back between her legs, pushing into her roughly and then buried his head between her neck and shoulder as he drove himself into her harder and faster than he ever dared to before.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and quickly responded to the rough way he was handling her. Crying out loudly when he felt that familiar tightening inside her, gripping him like a vice and seeming to pull him in deeper. He lifted his head and kissed her right when he knew she was about to cry out again. Instead she moaned into his mouth as her body shook under him. And then he was there with her, never breaking pace as he felt all that tension, anger and fear pour out of him and into her with such an intensity that it was actually him trying to stifle his own cries as she kissed him hungrily. He didn't know where all that had come from. He was starting to feel like a real ass for being so rough with her. But he felt like maybe she had needed the same thing. Especially since, after raising his head and finally looking her, she was grinning at him. He felt more himself than he had since the night they left the farm.

He only had a second to gather his wits about him and come down from wherever the hell his head had gone too while he was fighting with her. Jesus, he could have just gotten them both killed. He heard the sound of a car coming from the direction the others had gone a little while ago. He kissed her one more time and then pulled away from her quickly and fixed his pants. She had hers on and was standing up before he could even get his buttoned.

He grabbed her hand and they made it to the bike before the truck came into view. "I'm sorry." he muttered as they stood there waiting. He meant it too. He knew that he had been acting like an ass for the last couple of weeks but the main thing he wanted was to keep them safe. But he understood why she was afraid. He knew how far he had come since the quarry and he didn't want her to think he was going back to that.

"For what? Being a huge asshole or for forcing me to talk dirty?" She grinned and then cupped his face, kissing him with just as much enthusiasm as she ever had.

"For bein' an asshole. You talkin' dirty is just fuckin' hot. I ain't gonna apologize for that one."

The truck came to a stop a few feet away from them and Merle jumped out. Sophia waved at them from the passenger seat where she sat next to a giggling Maggie. They waved back.

"The fuck ya'll still doin' here?" Merle grumbled.

"Talkin'." Daryl grumbled.

Merle narrowed his eyes and studied them for a few long seconds. "You dirty mother fuckers!" He laughed. "You coulda just said you needed time to get your rocks off, baby brother." His laughter died and his face grew pensive as he glanced back towards the truck. "Good to know that at least one Dixon is getting himself laid."

Carol just shook her head and climbed up on the bike as Daryl scowled at him. "Shut up Merle. We'll follow you in."

Merle slapped him on the back and gave him a wink. "Good to see ya in good spirits again." He glanced at Carol. "You need to sneak off and give him a bit more often. Seems like Daryl here has himself a little bad mood spell unless he's getting' him some on the regular." He laughed and sauntered off to the truck.

Daryl just gave her a sheepish smile before climbing on in front of her. "Merle's full of shit." He grumbled over his shoulder before the bike roared to life.

She laughed. "I think he's onto something." She mused as she laid her head against his back.

"Shut up." He muttered before taking off. He knew she could hear the smile in his voice.


	72. Chapter 72

**I wasn't going to post a chapter today but I wont be able to update again until Monday so I thought I would post this chapter. It's a filler but it's pretty funny. If any of you are interested I posted a one shot this morning. The idea hit me and had me crawling out of bed at an ungodly hour and I didn't stop writing until it was done. So far it has been a success! Thank you all for reviewing! I don't get back to everyone all the time but remember that I appreciate you ALL and without you there would really be no point in writing! Have a safe weekend!**

Chapter Seventy Two

The group was silent as they made their way through the streets of the town. It was much larger than the one they had stayed in when they had left the quarry, but it was still small by most peoples standards. It was eerily silent. The rest of the group had picked up a thing or two from the Dixon's, one being how to walk silently, they literally ghosted from one building to the next until they discovered a large shopping center.

Unsurprisingly the doors were locked, but they all decided that this was a good thing. A very good thing. If they were still locked then that meant that maybe no one else had scavenged here, leaving them with all of the food they could take, not counting supplies.

Carol kept a close eye on Merle and Daryl as they went through a few of the abandoned cars in the parking lot, finally producing a tire iron. Between the two of them they had the door opened pretty quickly. They all hurried inside, going in low and watching and listening for the telltale signs of Walkers inside the store. The windows in the place were pretty big and the light reached far into the store. Everyone had a knife in their hands. Even Sophia and Carol didn't have to worry about her that much because she had seen Merle and Daryl teaching the kids how to use them.

As quietly as they all could they pushed a large display rack in front of the, now unlocked, doors. When that was done they crept further in, keeping close. No one split up. At least not until they knew the store was clear. Daryl kept his fingers twined with hers. He wasn't worried about Merle making a fuss over what he had previously deemed 'pussy stuff', because Merle was always attached to Maggie in one form or another. Either keeping the girl tucked into his side or holding her hand.

Every now and then he would glance down at her and smile. It had been so long since he had done that that it nearly made her want to cry. She had been worried about him. Every day he would regress back further and further until he was that same bitter man at the quarry, before his brother had turned up missing. He held them all on his shoulders and she knew that. Not just her and Sophia but all of them. Even Randal, who at first had trouble finding his spot in the group but eventually proved himself valuable the first time he risked his own neck to save Milton from a Walker. Ever since that day he was one of them, and even Daryl treated him so. Merle on the other hand watched him suspiciously but she figured that was just Merle.

They ran into quite a few Walkers, all of them looked to be former employees judging by their matching clothes and name tags. They were all taken out silently. This group was turning into a Walker killing machine.

When they found the food isle it was hard to keep themselves quiet. They hadn't eaten much in three whole days since Daryl had been unable to find even a few scrawny squirrels to sustain them. It was all untouched and even the putrid smell of rotted meat from the coolers not far away was able to rid them of their apatite. They all began grabbing food right off the shelves, ripping bags open and eating with their fingers the first edible things they could grab. Cereal, crackers, cookies, chips. It was a junk food junkies paradise. She had no doubt that they were going to be one sick group by the time they were all finished.

"You gonna eat somethin'?" Daryl whispered as she watched the others.

She nodded but didn't go to grab anything. Instead she grabbed him by the hand and led him a few isles over where she found a case of bottled water.

"Do ya ever stop?" He asked as he carried the water back to the others.

"Stop what?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

He smirked. "Takin' care of everybody else before ya take care of yourself."

"Do you?" She countered.

He snorted and then tore open the plastic, handing out the bottles and then grabbing himself a box of some sort of snack crackers.

"How we gonna get all this crap to the car?" Duane asked around a mouth full of dry cereal. His manners had slipped since he had been with them but he was still a great kid as far as kids went. And his mouth wasn't near as bad as Sophia's had been the last month.

She was happy to hear them talking at all. She had worried about them. They weren't even like children anymore. They were so focused on staying alive that there was no enjoyment. It was okay for the rest of them to have to live like that but she hated it for the kids.

Rick looked hopeful for the first time in weeks. "The town looks pretty bare as far as Walkers go. I think it would be safe to bring the vehicles. We could get tents and sleeping bags. Load as much food as we can. We've really hit a goldmine here. Hopefully we can fill up all our cars."

"To bad there's so many windows. It would be nice to just live here." Sophia said longingly. Carl and Duane nodded glumly and Carol felt herself frown. She wished they could too. Living on the road was really wearing them all down.

"Mom?" Sophia said suddenly, her voice filled with worry. "What happened to your neck?"

Many eyes went to her and she could feel the blood rushing to her face. Merle slapped his leg and laughed, too loudly before he closed his mouth quickly. "Jesus, baby brother! Was you hungry?"

Now there were several others laughing, mostly the women. Even Lori was covering her mouth and giving her a sympathetic look.

"Goddamn you, Merle." Daryl grumbled as he ducked his head and continued eating.

"Well?" Sophia studied her and then bit back a grin herself. "Oh, that's so gross!"

"Oh my God." Carol ducked her own head but not before glaring at Daryl who had just glanced up at her, looking as embarrasses as she felt.

"Do ya'll think maybe we can stay in a house here in town? Like you said you did when you first had to leave your camp? Back before you found us?" Beth asked quietly. It was the first time Carol had heard her speak since they had left the farm, although she was sure the girl had spoken to her father and her sister.

Everyone focused on Rick then, which Carol was grateful for. He looked around and then shrugged. "I don't see why not. It would be nice to be fed and get to sleep in an actual bed. Maybe we can bunker down here for a few days. Daryl?"

Daryl glanced up. "Wouldn't hurt to get rested up a bit. As long as we put people on watch."

Carol's mood soared. How long had it been since they had been able to sleep with a roof over their heads? She grinned and she couldn't stop, even when she tried. She glanced around and realized that she wasn't the only one. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood now. There was more hope on their faces than she had seen in weeks.

~H~

Merle knew that everyone was hesitant to leave the store. They were all afraid of going hungry again. Hell, even he had gotten worried there for a while. Him and Daryl were barely eating anything at all. Every time Sophia would turn her head while they were eating their meager meals he would put half of his on her plate. Daryl did the same thing with Carol. A few bites a day sometimes was all either of them would get into them. But if that was all they could do for them then that was what they were going to do. He wasn't about to sit next to that little girl and watch her starve. Daryl was the only one that knew that he was doing it, which was a good thing. He didn't need all of them fussing over him. If it wasn't Sophia then he wouldn't have done it at all. Even Duane, who had taken an unexpected liking too was on his own, eating his share. But that boy was different. He was strong.

Before leaving they all decided to go through the rest of the store to see what all it had to offer before going to get the cars.

"I'm gonna go with Beth and Daddy. I'll see ya back here in a few." Maggie said as she pulled her hand out of his and reached up, catching his lips with her own. She grinned and backed away to catch up with her family. He watched her go and then glanced around to make sure no one was paying him any attention before he took off to find the one thing that he needed the most.

He scanned each isle quickly as he tried to find what he was looking for before someone came looking for him. He was already breaking Rick and Daryl's stupid ass rule about going off alone. But it wasn't like he was in the woods. He was in a store and he needed something and they could both kiss his ass if they didn't like it.

Finally he came to the end of the feminine hygiene products, and found what he was looking for. He had gotten his jacket back from Carol just for this purpose. He started filling up all the pockets, which there were plenty, with boxes of condoms. He didn't even look at what he grabbed. He just grabbed as many as he could as quick as he could. After he thought he had enough to last him a while he got to looking at some of the other stuff they had on display. Other forms of birth control that he'd never even heard of.

"Spermicidal lubricant?" He muttered out loud. He shrugged and then started filling his pockets with that too.

"Jesus Christ, Merle."

Merle's head snapped up and he glared at his brother. "How long you been standin' there ya asshole?"

"Long enough to know that you got a problem. You just go from one addiction to the next don't ya?" Daryl leaned against the shelf and smirked.

"You wouldn't know what it's like, little brother. The girl is drivin' me fuckin' crazy and I can't touch her. Well, I touch her plenty..." He shook his head, "But I got needs goddamn it. I never thought me, Merle Dixon, would ever say he was sick of gittin' blowjobs. But I am. So I'm gonna remedy that."

"You tellin' me that you ain't even hit it yet?" Daryl cocked an eyebrow at him and his smirk grew bigger. "Merle, that ain't like you at all." He shook his head like he was ashamed of him.

Merle knew Daryl was messing with him but he couldn't even get pissed off about it. Hell, he was ashamed of himself, he never expected his own little awkward ass brother to be getting laid more than him.

"You really think you're gonna use all those?" Daryl asked with a laugh.

"Fuck yeah I am. I'll be out by the end of the week. I gotta make up for lost time. Don't be standin' there passin' judgment little brother, we all heard you two at the farm. Bout drove the goddamn headboard through the wall! I ain't got to do a damn thing. But I plan too."

"Well, just keep your head straight out there. We ain't in the clear yet. Just cause the town seems quiet don't mean that it actually is."

Merle scowled at him. "Are you really sayin' this to me right now? I know what the two of you was doin'. Right there in the road in front of God and everybody."

"Shut up, dumbass. There wasn't anybody there." Daryl grumbled.

Merle almost laughed when he saw the flush running up his brothers neck, but he kept his mouth shut. At least he was talking again and he wasn't brooding about shit. Merle was glad he had gotten himself some. Saved the rest of them from having to deal with his bad moods. Not that he thought that had much to do with the boys bad mood. He knew how he was feeling. Daryl tried to hold everybody up and it wasn't working. And that was really the thing that bothered him the most. Failing Carol and that girl. But he wasn't going to get into all that with him right now.

"You ready?" Daryl asked, impatiently.

"I was born ready." Merle grinned and then threw a heavy arm over Daryl's shoulders. "Hey, I been meanin' to ask. Why the hell ain't you usin' these? You tryin' to make your big brother an uncle or somethin'?"

Daryl scoffed. "She can't have anymore kids. Or else me and you would be fightin' in the middle of the floor for them things."

Merle frowned. "You lucky little fucker."

~H~

Sophia frowned at the racks of clothes. She knew what she was suppose to grab for herself. Stuff for survival. Things that were heavy and would keep her from freezing. Thermals and flannels and cargo pants so she would have plenty of places for her to carry more ammo and even an extra gun if she wanted. Merle had called her a soldier and soldiers didn't have time to look at cute stuff that didn't serve a purpose. She ran a hand down a shirt that she liked a lot, one she would have to leave without, and then turned to fill up on more supplies.

She found Duane sticking spare flashlights and batteries into his own bag. They were in the sporting goods department, along with most of the others.

"Where the hell is Carl?" She asked softly. Her and Carl barely spoke anymore. They both talked to Duane but not really to one another. It had been like that since the first day on the road. She hated things being that way between them, especially after he started really stepping up in the group. She was proud of him and couldn't even tell him. She missed him badly and even though he was always right there he was still to far away to talk too.

He looked up and gave her a shrug. "Haven't seen him for a few minutes. I don't even know which way he went."

"Damn it." She grumbled as she turned around to go look for him. She ended up running right into him then.

"What are you cussing about now?" He asked with a small smirk on his face.

"You were suppose to stay with Duane. We aren't suppose to be alone." She said as she took a step away.

"You were alone." he deadpanned.

She narrowed her eyes. He had a point so she kept her mouth shut. She didn't try to argue with him about anything anymore. it wasn't worth the fall out afterwords. This was actually the most he had spoken to her all week. Not that she blamed him. She had been a real shit head that day.

She started grabbing anything that looked useful and shoving it into her bag. She wanted to hurry up and get out of the store, find a real house to sleep in for the night and get some actual rest. She never slept well anymore. She stayed warm enough during the night but that was only because she slept smashed between her mom and Daryl and when it was Daryl's turn to go on watch Merle would take his place. The three of them treated her like such a little kid and no matter how many times she told them that she would be okay they never listened to her.

At least now they had more blankets and sleeping bags, even tents, so she wouldn't have to be such a pain in their ass. And she knew she was. It was annoying.

"You okay?" Duane asked as he studied her face.

"I'm fine." She muttered as she zipped the bag and stormed off, knowing they would follow her.


	73. Chapter 73

**This chapter ended up being much longer than I thought it was going to be. This one is for those of you who suffered through the huge wait for some Caryl l-o-v-i-n. XD .I told you I was going to make up for it and so I did. Hopefully you will be satisfied. Those of you that missed the smut, anyway ;) Hope you all have a great Monday! =)**

Chapter Seventy Three

Finding a suitable house wasn't as hard as Daryl expected it to be. Him and T-dog had spotted the place while the others were loading up the vehicles. It was just a low one story square building That had probably been pretty decent before the outbreak. The windows were all narrow and high up, which made it perfect. When they went into the first one they realized that there were more windows towards the back off of the kitchen and dining room areas with sliding glass doors that led out to an enclosed courtyard.

"Man, this is perfect." T-dog whispered as they checked the first apartment. "No Walkers could get in from the front unless they broke down the doorS, and we could even be outside without worrying about any of them showing up."

There were four apartments, each with it's sliding glass doors facing the courtyard, as secure as anything could be in this world. On one hand Daryl was ecstatic over this find. But then again, there was some nagging voice in his head that said that all of this had been too easy. Finding the store untouched and now finding a real place where they could bed down for a while with no worries. That nagging feeling was becoming a strange sense of dread that he tried to fight back.

"I don't know. Just seems like after losin' the farm it would be stupid to get our hopes up about somethin' like this. Ain't nothin' easy for us anymore, brother. It ain't natural."

T-dog stopped him with a hand on his shoulder as they entered another apartment. Daryl expected him to come off with some sarcastic shit but he was looking at him with a serious expression. It was rare for the two of them to have a serious moment. That's one of the reasons that his friendship with T-dog had become something that he was comfortable with.

"Daryl, sometimes you just have to enjoy the little things. Be happy about this, man. We can have a break. We deserve a break. Especially you. Wouldn't none of us been able to feed ourselves out there. You've kept us alive, brother. More than Rick has SO Just let go for a night or two."

Daryl frowned. He had never had a hero complex. He didn't want people thinking that he was some sort of savior because he wasn't. But he knew that T was right. He needed to breath for a while. Every nerve in his body was always coiled tight, waiting for the next bad thing to happen in a long string of bad things. But he couldn't loosen the dread in his gut, the irritating voice telling him to keep up that guard or pay dearly. But he didn't want to bother his friend with all of that.

"I didn't know you cared so much, T. Should we kiss now?" He smirked and then T-dog gave him a shove.

"You wish, redneck."

They deemed all of the apartments safe. Or what passed for safe now days. They even had the good sense to gather up wood for a fire in the courtyard, now that they could have a decent fire. They always had to keep the fires low when they were camped out in the woods. This was going to be a real treat.

They took what all they would need for the night into the apartments, including all of their guns and ammo, and then spread the vehicles out a bit just in case more survivors showed up in the town. They didn't want to find themselves facing down another group like Randal's while they were trapped indoors. Best to not draw as much attention to themselves by keeping all their cars parked in front of the building.

They hadn't seen any sign of any more survivors. As far as they knew they were the last ones on earth. And as far as Daryl was concerned that was just fine by him. They didn't need anymore people trying to force themselves into their group. It was hard enough feeding the ones that were already there.

"We all get bedrooms?" Sophia asked him as they stood in front of the glass doors that looked out onto the courtyard.

"I guess so. There's twelve bedrooms but you have to room with Beth. None of you kids are sleeping alone." Daryl said as he watched the others laughing and talking, looking relaxed for the first time in a long time.

"Okay." She said as her eyes followed his.

He glanced down at her. She'd been really quiet here lately. Hell, they had all been real quiet, but the good luck they had ran into today put everyone else in high spirits, but she was still just as quiet. Brooding, even. _She's acting just like you, dumbass._ He shook the thought and then nudged her. "What's eatin' at that head of yours, kid?"

The corner of her mouth turned up and for a second she looked exactly like her mom. "Nothin', Daryl. I'm fine."

_Exactly what you would say._ He thought. But something was bothering her. "You know you ain't gotta bullshit me, Sophia. I know somethin's wrong. Might as well tell me what it is, save us both a lot of trouble."

She sighed and sat down in one of the cushioned kitchen chairs. She laid her hands flan on the table and studied them for a few seconds before looking up. He sat down across from her after glancing out the doors once moor. Everyone was still accounted for so he met her eyes.

"It don't seem like you much care anymore. You don't have to act like your interested in what's going on with me." She muttered.

He frowned. He knew he had been an ass but he hadn't realized how much of an ass until now. He blew out a breath, not sure how to keep going. "You know that's bullshit."

She didn't argue with him. She looked him right in the eye, hers were narrowed and guarded but she finally spoke regardless of how mad she was at him. "Remember that huge fit I threw? Right after the farm?" She muttered as she looked away.

He nodded. It had been pretty funny as far as he was concerned. He hadn't realized she was still holding onto all of that. "It wasn't that bad. Everybody has themselves a fit every now and then. Hell, your own momma tried to kick my ass today. And you know how calm she always is."

She smiled but it didn't hold much humor. "You think it's always gonna be like this? Always scared and running?" Her face fell as she studied him.

He wanted to tell her no. He wanted to say that they would be okay after a while. But he'd told her more than once that he wasn't going to lie to her. He wasn't going to start now. "I don't know. Maybe this is all we get. A few bright spots in the dark, but mostly just the dark. I wanna tell ya that it wont be this way forever but we'd both know I was lyin'. But you know I ain't gonna let nothin' happen to you, right?"

She nodded but still looked grim. "I feel so stupid for saying the things I said that day. I was so mad at everyone for treating me like such a kid. And now all I want to do is have the chance to be one. I wanted to prove to you that I could help take care of everybody. I wanted to prove to you how tough I was. But I'm scared all the time. Even when you're right there. I'm scared."

Daryl didn't think anything could have hurt him more than the words coming out of this girls mouth. This was one of the things he feared the most. He never got to be a kid either and he was still one fucked up mess because of it. He was better but he was far from over the tragic excuse for a childhood he had lived. And here she was, living her own hell and he just had to stand there and watch. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

"You're one of the toughest people I know, kid." he said quietly. "You ain't gotta prove shit to me. And I wish I could fix it. Make your life better, but I can't. All I can do is try like hell to keep ya breathin' and I don't need you tryin' to help take care of everybody here. That falls on me and that falls on Rick."

She nodded and then slid out of the chair and then right into his lap, tucking her head in under his chin. "You do a good job, Daryl." She whispered.

He snorted. "If I was doin' a good job then we wouldn't be havin' this conversation kid." He said into her hair.

"You didn't cause the world to end." She muttered.

They sat like that for a while before she finally stood up and grabbed his hand. "We're missing the party. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts right?" She smiled at him when he just grunted at her. This time it was a real smile.

~H~

Carol couldn't keep the smile off her face as she lounged back in the patio chair. She knew it wasn't going to last long but she was going to relax for as long as she could. She should have wanted to be indoors after spending so much time outside but the sun was beating down on her face and there wasn't a threat of Walkers at the moment. For just a little while, she was going to enjoy herself.

Everyone was happy for now. The buzz of conversations drifted in and out of her ears, she wasn't able to focus on any specific one.

They had discovered real running water in the store so everyone had used the sinks to wash up, leaving both bathrooms a wet soapy mess since they all had to basically use water from the sinks and just pour over themselves. The men did the same in the mens room. Carol felt a little sorry for them since there were so many more men than women. They were also able to pick up new clothes which she was very grateful. Washing up in a cold creek just to put filthy clothes back on was not her idea of fun and it was too cold to wash them and wait for them to dry. Especially since there was nothing else to put on while they waited.

Daryl and Sophia finally came out to join the rest of them. Sophia smiled and gave her a wave as she walked over to the boys who instantly moved apart so she could take her usual seat between them. She had been worried about the kids. They had all done almost the same thing that Daryl had done. They kept to themselves, not saying much unless it was to one another. Today was the most she had heard from any of them in a long time. Surprisingly when Duane wasn't with Carl and Sophia he was spending his time with Merle. The man looked after him just like he did Sophia and Carol was proud of him for letting go of his racist ways. The boy needed all of them. He was left alone in the world and now they were the only family he had.

Daryl looked down at her and smirked but she could tell that there was something off. Before she could ask him what was wrong he threw his leg over the seat and settled in behind her so she was lounged back between his legs, his arms around her waist and his lips next to her ear. She relaxed her back against him, soaking in the heat radiating off his chest. She closed her eyes and smiled even wider.

"We gotta stop runnin'. We gotta find a real place and we gotta find one soon." He whispered right into her ear. Nothing he said was meant to turn her on but his hot breath pouring over her neck caused a slow burn to start in her lower stomach.

"I thought that's what we were doing. Trying to find a place to stay." She murmured.

"You know I love you, right?" His voice dropped below a whisper and she felt the muscles in his chest tense a little.

She frowned, noticing how her heartbeat picked up as a sense of dread filled her. "Of course I know that."

"And you know I love Sophia. I don't say it but I do. I couldn't love her anymore if she was mine. As far as I'm concerned she is, and I believe she feels the same way."

"You're starting to freak me out, Daryl." She whispered as she covered his hands, that were locked around her waist, with her own.

"I'm givin' it a week, Carol. One more week of livin' like that. If we ain't found nothin' then we're splittin' from the group. I can't keep'em all alive but I can keep us alive. I can't have you both starvin' to death out there while Rick chases a fuckin' pipe dream."

Carol had grown perfectly still. Her eyes were the only thing moving as she took in the faces of the group. Her group. Her family. Her gut twisted painfully as her pulse quickened. How could he make a decision like that without talking to her first? He wasn't asking, he was telling. Andrea, T-dog, Dale, Rick... how could he say that they were leaving?

"And you don't think we should talk about this first? You think it would be okay to walk away and let our group die?" She hissed, making sure her voice never grew above a whisper.

He sighed into her neck. "If it means keepin' my family safe. The three of us could make it a lot easier than the 18 of us could."

She was suddenly out of the lounge chair and glaring down at him. How could he say this to her? Why would he think she would be okay with all this. "We need to talk." She snapped as she turned to storm off towards the apartment they had chosen to stay in.

The rest of the group had grown quiet and she knew they were watching her but she didn't care. He couldn't do this to her. He couldn't do this to Sophia. She yanked the sliding door open and continued to storm off to the bedroom they would be sleeping in.

When she heard him enter she spun around to face him. Her eyes instantly filled with tears when she saw the look on his face. He was just as torn over this as she was but what had made him make such a rash decision? What could be going through his head?

"Daryl, why? Why would you come up with this all on your own, like I shouldn't have any say in this at all?"

He looked at her, an unsure expression on his face. "What am I suppose to do? Have you seen how she's been these last few weeks? She's fuckin' terrified. _I'm _fuckin' terrified. I can't do it anymore. She needs a home. You need a home. I can't keep followin' Ricks lead and pretendin' that we'll be alright cause deep down, I know we wont. I'm gonna lose you or we're gonna lose her and I can't let that happen. I _wont_ let that happen."

She saw the desperation in his eyes and it tore at her heart like something was trying to claw out of it. She let out a heavy breath. "Daryl, please." She begged. She would beg if she had too.

He sat down heavily on the side of the bed and ran his hands through his hair. "We ain't got a choice. Why the fuck can't you see that?" He asked in a broken voice. "You think I wanna leave them? You think I wanna leave my _brother_?"

His brother? The one weakness Daryl had other than her and Sophia was Merle. And the same went for Merle. She understood what he was saying but they couldn't leave them. She couldn't leave them. It couldn't come down to that. She would choose him, there was no doubt in her mind, if he left now she would follow him right into the belly of hell if that's what it took to be with him. But she didn't want to go. They all needed each other.

"How could you walk away from your own brother, Daryl?" She asked as she dropped to her knees in front of him, her fingers digging into his thighs. "It would kill him."

He shook his head, looking at her with tired eyes. "Merle'll be just fine. If he was a smart man he'd take Maggie and go on his own."

She reached up and cupped his face between her trembling hands. "Daryl, please. Just give it more time, okay. We'll all be fine. Just give it more than a week." She pulled his face towards hers and kissed him, her desperation clear in the way her lips moved on his.

He let her push him down as she crawled on top of him, never breaking that desperate kiss that was now fogging up her thoughts. She had to convince him that this was a bad idea. She had to make him see that leaving wouldn't solve anything.

"Will you please just think about this? Please?" She whispered when she finally pulled her face away.

He stared up at her for a long moment before finally nodding. She could tell that it pained him to let her have her way on this. She was finally able to relax against him and his hands settled on her hips. He looked sad. Like he was sure he was going to lose them now. She hated that look. She hated that look even more than she hated the thought of leaving.

"It's going to be okay. We're strong." She whispered.

He just kept on looking up at her.

"Will you please say something?" She needed him to tell her that they would be fine. They could have their group and they could survive.

"What am I suppose to say?" He asked miserably.

She didn't know what to tell him so she kissed him again instead. She needed that look to go away. She'd have rather him been pissed off than this. She wasn't used to this and she hated it. She deepened the kiss and his hands tightened on her hips.

"There you go." She crooned in his ear causing him to stiffen and then he guided her back and forth so she could feel the hard length of him under her. There was no electricity and although dusk was fast approaching she could still see his face well enough to know that his eyes were no longer sad. They were hungry. "This door actually locks, Dixon. You ready for round two?" She grinned.

He nearly tossed her off of him and hurried to the door. She stood up, facing the bed instead of him and pulled the shirt over her head. He was quick. Before she could even turn around he was right there, hot mouth kissing the back of her neck and hands gliding up her stomach, over her ribs until he was kneading both of her breasts, causing her to lean into his bare chest as her breath caught in her throat. His mouth never left her sensitive skin as he kissed down between her shoulder blades. He slid his hands back down and undid her pants, sliding them down her hips. She wanted to turn around but he held her firmly in place with one hand on her hip while the other slipped down the front of the black lace panties she had snagged from the store earlier that day.

He knew her well now, knew every little spot to touch that had her legs trembling and her insides feeling as though she would catch fire from the flame that he could ignite just by the stroke of his finger. She felt him let go of her hip but she wasn't about to try to move now, not with him stroking her that way, she would stay as still as he wanted her too. His body moved away from hers for just a second and then was right back, pressed against her, naked and hard. His mouth found her neck once more and as soon as his teeth grazed her overheated skin her legs nearly did give out but he had one muscled arm around her slender waist, holding her against him as his fingers continued moving expertly over her.

When she was finally able to catch her breath he wretched his hand away from her and pushed the panties down. She didn't have a chance to even get her bearings before he started pushing her towards the bed. He stayed right behind her the whole time as she went to her knees on the mattress. She had never done it this way before. No matter how it began it never failed to end with him on top of her. And she almost smiled at how much him taking her this way really turned her on. When he pushed into her, so slowly she was sure it would kill her, she decided this was one of his best ideas yet.

"Fuck..." He breathed, drawing it out until it became a multi syllable word.

He kept himself under control this time. Unlike earlier by the road where every action was almost violent. This was so slow that she was almost sobbing as she begged him to go faster. But he didn't listen to her. Every time she tried to move faster herself he would pull away and then he would just start all over again, leaving her gasping into the sheets and almost cursing him for torturing her this way. Every nerve in her body felt exposed and tingled frantically at his slow paced strokes and her muscles were constricting wildly despite how much she longed for him to just drive himself into her as fast and hard as he could. There was something building though, something deep in the center of her body and he was coaxing it with every slow deliberate movement he made.

"Daryl," She gasped as he ran his hand down her spine.

He chuckled. "You're impatient, woman." He whispered in a husky voice. "This is gonna be good, I promise. I can already feel it..."

It almost reminded her of the day they had been on that dock. Him moving so slow but there was a purpose behind it and as he continued to move that pressure within her began to expand and before she even knew what was about to happen she heard him once more.

"Almost there," He breathed as his hands trailed once more down her spine, his touch so light it left her skin tingling as a trail of goosebumps followed in his wake. "You ready?" his voice was barely a whisper.

"Mmm Hmm," was all she managed before he gripped her hips once more in his rough hands and plunged into her so hard and fast it nearly knocked the breath out of her. And then she knew what he had been talking about.

He had been right, she had been almost there, that pressure, her coiled muscles and electrified nerves finally exploded inside her. She actually bit into the blanket under her to stifle the screams, and this time that was exactly what they were. She wasn't moaning and she wasn't crying out, she was screaming and there was no stopping so she clamped her teeth around the fabric and squeezed her eyes shut as the dam broke and she was filled with so much sensation that her brain wasn't fast enough to even keep track of where it was coming from. Her nerve endings, from the back of her neck all the way down were throbbing along with the orgasm that wracked her body so hard that she involuntarily clamped her legs together, her brain not being able to decipher if this was pleasure or pain, just knowing that whatever it was, it was too much, and acted without her telling it what to do. But putting her legs together only intensified the sensations and then he was pulling her legs apart once more, wrapping one arm around her waist then actually lifting her up until her back was pressed against his chest once more, never breaking stride, still pushing himself into her. She still hadn't came down from whatever planet she had landed on when suddenly his hand slid down and his finger grazed the already throbbing nerves and then worked quickly, building her up again before she was even finished with whatever it was that was happening to her.

His other had clamped down over her mouth, she wasn't even aware of making anymore sounds but she must have been. The only thing she could hear was his heavy breath in her ear and then her own blood rushing through her veins. And still his fingers moved and still he was filling her up, moving hard and fast. He shoved her face back down into the mattress and he grabbed her so hard that it probably would have hurt her if she wasn't so all consumed with other things at the moment.

"Oh fuck." He whispered. "Fuck fuck fuck, Carol." Her name tore out of his throat in a vicious growl. She felt herself clamp around him once more, as though her body knew exactly what to do for his as she felt the heat of his own orgasm pouring into her.

She rolled over onto her back when he finally pulled away from her. It was dark now and she couldn't see him. But she knew he was close, she could hear his heavy breathing mixing with her own.

"Wow." She muttered as sat up. She felt weak, like her bones had turned into some soft substance that could no longer hold her up.

He laughed and then he was there, pushing her back down, settling himself between her legs before he crushed her mouth with his. Her hands went to his hair, tugging gently as her legs locked around his waist. He kissed her for a long time before finally he pulled his face away.

"I heard somewhere that wow was about the best compliment a man could get." He said in a low voice.

"That's about all I can say about all that." Her voice was rough, and it caused him to laugh again.


	74. Chapter 74

**I must say, I think I may only have another week or so left in me. This story will be drawing to an end. That makes me pretty sad. On a lighter note, however, that means there could very well be another 20 or more chapters to go. I kind of hope so, but they are headed towards the last stop of their journey pretty quick. I don't think I've rushed this story so far and I wont rush it now just to get it finished. I really hate it when people do that! I just figured I would let you all know that, since some of you are probably wondering by now if I have any intentions on ending this EVER. So thanks to you all for reading and all your really encouraging reviews! **

Chapter Seventy Four

Sophia glanced around at the group. Someone brought out beer that they had managed to pick up from the store they had raided earlier. Her mom and Daryl had been inside for hours, probably fighting about something from the look on her moms face as she had stormed off. The fire was warm, the four walls surrounding them kept off the wind and she couldn't help but smile to herself. It was good to see everyone laughing and having a moment where they could just breath.

"What's with the grin?" Duane smiled as he handed her a can of soda.

"Just thinking. This is really nice." She mused as she glanced across the fire and caught Merle's eye. Him and Maggie were sitting on a blanket someone had thought to bring out. He winked at her and then turned his attention back to whatever Maggie was saying.

Carl was sitting to her right. He didn't talk much anymore. Usually the person she talked to the most, when they talked at all, was Duane. Ever since that day on the road her and Carl's friendship had pretty much fizzled up and she regretted everything she had said to him. He'd saved Daryl and she repaid him by throwing a fit in front of the whole group. She missed him, even though he was always right there. She had even sucked up her pride and apologized for everything. He had accepted with a nod. That was three weeks ago or more.

Duane stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles and leaning back in his chair. "This is the life." He smiled and elbowed her in the arm. "Could you imagine staying here? This would be better than the farm. It would be a good place."

Carl shook his head. "Until more people showed up. People like Randal's group. This place would be too hard to defend."

Sophia glanced over at him. "Not everyone is like that." She said quietly.

He didn't say anything, causing her to sigh and sink further into her chair. Was he ever going to talk to her again?

As if he had read her thoughts he looked over at her. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He sounded unsure and his eyes searched hers. She nodded eagerly as they both stood up.

"Bout damn time." Duane mumbled as he gave them both a grin earning a frown from herself and an eye roll from Carl.

She followed him until they were away from the rest of the group but still had enough light from the small fire to see fairly well. "What's up?" She asked when he didn't say anything right away. She really hoped that whatever it was it wouldn't just escalate into another fight.

He shifted from foot to foot and for the first time she noticed that he was carrying his backpack. Finally he handed the bag over. "I saw you earlier, while we were at the store." He mumbled.

She frowned and took the backpack he was holding out to her. She unzipped it and then crouched down so she could look inside at whatever it was he wanted her to see. All she could make out in the dim light were clothes. She glanced up at him, her eyes searching his face. "Clothes?"

He nodded. "I saw you looking but you didn't grab any." He shrugged as she started pulling out shirts and pants, things that didn't make sense to have in this new world. She looked up with a smile. "You even got the right size."

He shrugged but the corner of his mouth tugged up. "That was the easy part. I just grabbed the smallest I could find."

"You know I'm going to ruin all this out there on the road." She said sadly as she ran her hand over a thin long sleeved t-shirt with an abstract design printed on the front of it. It was white. Definitely not her color since most of the time she was sleeping in the dirt.

"I didn't pay for it. And you'll look real nice, at least for a while." He looked away then, towards the fire.

"I didn't think we were even friends anymore." She whispered, feeling a lump form in her throat that she tried to swallow down.

He dug the tip of his boot into the soft earth before finally looking at her again. She stood up then, not sure what to say anymore.

"Sophia, neither one of us are going anywhere. It's kinda like, the three of us against the world. I'm always gonna be your friend. Even when you act crazy sometimes." He shrugged. "That's just what women do."

"Those things I said that day, I didn't mean it." She whispered.

"I know." He kept his eyes trained on hers. "Oh, I almost forgot." he reached into his pocket, "I found this too, it wasn't somethin' that you were lookin' at or anything but I thought of you when I saw it." She could see his face flush bright red as he took her hand and dropped something into her palm.

It was a thin gold chain, so delicately woven that she was almost afraid to pick it up. There was a charm on the end and when she moved it over to get a better look she gasped and her face lit up into a huge grin. The charm was a small gold crossbow.

"It's one of those Zodiac things, ya know. But I thought that it'd mean more than that to you. Because of Daryl and stuff. I just figured that you might have grabbed it yourself if you'd seen it but you didn't so I just grabbed it for you because..."

He finally stopped his rambling when she pulled him to her by the shoulder and hugged him tightly. She felt so much better than she had earlier, like a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders. She had her best friend back and, at least for the moment, they were safe and fed. He hugged her back just as fiercely as she hugged him, which made her feel even better. Whatever rift had formed between them was gone now. She hadn't realized how much she had relied on his friendship until now.

"Carl, you're the absolute best friend in the world." She said into his shoulder. In her excitement she reached up and was about to kiss him on the cheek just as he was turning his head to say something to her, causing her lips to land firmly on the corner of his mouth instead. She froze. He froze. She didn't even have the good sense to move. This was bad. This was really bad. She was standing here with a boy, a boy who had his arms around her and she had kissed him. Almost right on the mouth.

Carl was the one that snapped out of it first. He moved his face away but only about an inch and then turned his head so he was looking at her full on. His eyes were huge, she figured hers were too.

"I didn't mean to do that." She hissed as she stepped back.

He didn't say anything at first but then he nodded slightly. "It never happened." He whispered.

"Right. It never happened." She turned her head, dreading what she would see behind her, knowing that the entire group was staring at them just like the day on the road. But to her relief no one was paying them any mind. No one except a smirking Duane.

They both sat down on chairs next to Duane, keeping the boy between them. Sophia was blushing furiously. She thought she was going to be sick, especially when she glanced across the fire and saw Merle studying her intently. His eyes were narrowed. She wandered frantically if maybe he had seen what had happened. Oh gross. Gross gross gross! What if he thought she had done it on purpose? Jesus, why was she such an idiot.

She could have cried right then. She had just gotten her friend back and now it was ruined. Now she didn't even want to look at him. She realized that her fists were clenched and she forced herself to open the one that still held the necklace.

"That's real nice." Duane said as he leaned in to look more closely.

"Thanks." She whispered. "Carl got it for me today."

"I know. I was with him when he got it. It was suppose to be a peace offering." He grinned.

She rolled her eyes and handed it to the boy, turning her body away from him and lifting her hair. He chuckled and then clasped it for her. She tucked it into her shirt and leaned back in her seat. She dared a glance at Carl, who was looking straight ahead into the fire.

"You know," Duane grinned and then stretched, resting his elbows on each of their shoulders, "With you two around, I wont ever get bored. It's like watching television again. Don't never know what you two crazy kids are gonna get yourselves into next.

"Shut up, Duane." They said in unison then they glanced at each other and smiled.

"Shuttin' up." Duane sighed.

Carl laughed and the sound made Sophia calm down a little. Maybe he really did know that she hadn't meant to do that. Maybe she could still have her friend.

~H~

Carol collapsed on top of him in a boneless heap, the side of her face pressed against his chest. He could feel every ragged exhale as it cooled his feverish skin. The only sound in the room was their unsteady breathing. He felt like they had been in that room forever. He glanced towards the window, half expecting the sun to be shining through the glass. But all was dark and quiet. Calm.

She finally slid up and kissed him lightly. He had kissed her so much that his lips were actually sore but that didn't mean he had had enough. She had been right. He had put up a wall and had gone these last few weeks barely touching her. Not that he had much of a chance out there to do anything but stay on alert. But he was making up for that now, the best way he could. He ran a calloused hand down her back and held her tighter to him. She laughed and tried to pull away, to roll off of him but he just tightened his grip around her even more and then rolled so she was under him.

"We need to get back out there." She laughed as she ran a hand through his sweat dampened hair.

He smiled in the dark. Her voice wasn't even hers anymore. He couldn't help but to feel smug. "Ain't we had to look at those people enough?" He grumbled. His own voice was pretty rough, he cleared his throat.

"Daryl, we're both exhausted and covered in sweat. We're gonna kill ourselves if we don't get some water in us soon."

He growled into her shoulder but then raised up onto his knees. "Fine. Let's go rehydrate and then get our asses back in here."

"You're like a teenaged boy, you know that? All hormones."

He dipped his head down nipped her thigh. "You complainin'?" He grinned.

She sucked in a sharp breath. "Definitely not. But we need to get out of here. Someone said Glen got beer."

He reached up and traced her lips with his middle finger his nose skimmed down her ribcage. Her lips parted and she moved her head up slowly until the tip of that finger grazed the back of her throat. "You really tryin' to get me out of this room, you're goin' about it the wrong way." he growled.

He moved his finger in and out of her mouth until she caught it with her teeth.

"That wouldn't be very nice, woman." He laughed and then kissed her stomach once before sliding off the bed and feeling around on the floor for his clothes.

"I'm surprised you gave up that easily." She mused as she stood next to him. He handed her her jeans and she slipped them on, he wasn't gonna bother trying to find her underwear. There wasn't any light and he had no idea where they could have gone.

"Beer." He grunted as she heard his zipper.

"So all I have to do is mention beer and you'd abandon me?" He could hear the smile in her tone as he shoved her sweater into her hands.

"Nope. Gotta make sure them dumb asses out there ain't getting' shit faced. We're safe as far as I can tell but not so safe that we let our guard all the way down."

He caught her around the middle as she went for the door. He really could have stayed in this room all night. He wasn't done by a long shot. "An hour. We'll stay out there for an hour. As long as they ain't all drunk then we come right back here and finish what we started." He growled into her ear.

"You finished what you started twice already, Daryl. And I finished what you started more times than that." She laughed. "And you also finished what you started out there by the road. I'm not feeling very sorry for you right now."

He kissed her neck and then finally let her go. "Damn Merle is probably wasted. Best get out there now." He grumbled. "One hour." He added as they made their way down the hall.

~H~

Merle was nervous. He hated feeling nervous. Shit used to never make him nervous before but that was before. This was now.

"What's the matter?" Maggie asked as she pressed into his side.

He just shook his head and took a long drink from his bottle. Of water. He wasn't drinking any of the beer that Glen had managed to grab. No one was drinking heavily but everyone was drinking a little. Well, not everyone. Hershel and Lori declined and so did Beth. Maggie was going to drink but he had taken the beer and shook his head. It earned him a glare from her but he didn't care. This was his chance. He was going to take it and he wasn't going to have her drunk.

"And tell me again why we ain't drinkin'?" She asked glumly as she watched T-dog and Rick finish off theirs and grab another.

"Can't. Some of us need to keep a clean head in case somethin' happens." He said wisely.

"And you volunteered the two of us to babysit? Daryl isn't drinkin' and neither are some of the others."

"Daryl is in there neck deep in Carol right now, he ain't payin' no mind to what the hells going on out here." Merle grumbled.

Maggie giggled. "At least someone around here is gittin' some."

"You tired?" He asked suddenly.

Her brow furrowed. "You wanna go to bed? Waste all this freedom for sleep? I thought the point of not drinkin' was to keep watch?"

Fuck no he didn't want to waste the night sleeping. He didn't want to waste it setting out here with all these assholes either. He turned around when he heard the glass doors to one of the apartments slide open. His brother and Carol came out, him leading her by the hand.

"Are you assholes getting drunk?" He grumbled as he sat down on the blanket next to Merle.

Merle held up the bottle of water and frowned. He almost laughed when Daryl's eyes widened.

"You ain't drinkin'?" He asked, shock clear in his voice.

He just shook his head and stared back into the fire.

"He's makin' us babysit even though no one else is really gittin' drunk." Maggie pouted.

Merle glared into the flames. He didn't want to look at his brother anymore. He had that smug look on his face that Merle knew meant he had guessed right about what they had been in there doing. Three fucking hours? He could almost smell the sex on the boy. This was total bullshit. He stood up abruptly, pulling Maggie up with him. He shot a glance across the fire.

"You alright for the night boy?" He asked Duane.

Duane gave him a nod that Merle returned before he turned around and headed towards the door.

"Where are we goin'?" Maggie asked as she picked up her pace to match his long determined strides.

"Bed." He growled.

"I ain't tired." Maggie argued.

He shot her a dark look and then felt the corners of his mouth tug up. "I ain't either."


	75. Chapter 75

**I was going to wait to post this one but figured, what the hell. I can post it before bed. Yes, I sleep during the day. Until 2:00 anyway. I sort of left that last chapter hanging and I hate doing that to you guys. Thanks for the reviews and all the encouragement. Every one of you are awesome! I've been writing this story for six weeks now and most of you have been with this from the start! Much love to you! Have a great morning! =)**

Chapter Seventy Five

"You guys ever had beer before?" Carl asked quietly as the grown ups around them went on with their jokes and conversations.

Duane and Sophia both shook their heads. Ed had drank beer sometimes but she had never tried to taste it. She mostly avoided anything that had to do with the man.

She kept her eye on Carl as he kept glancing around them. They had moved to the blanket that Merle and Maggie had abandoned a few minutes ago. Her mom and Daryl had moved to the other side of the courtyard where T-dog, Milton and Andrea were talking with some of the others.

"What are thinking about doing?" She finally asked.

Carl gave her a sideways grin and then stood up, walking towards one of the cases of beer that was sitting between the fire and the rest of the group.

Duane looked at her and rolled his eyes. "He's gonna get busted and then we're all gonna get it."

Sophia snorted. "Are you serious? All they'll do to you is go tell Merle. I'm the one that would have to deal with Daryl and my mom. Merle would have probably given you beer if you'd asked him too."

"Yeah, I guess. As long as I didn't have to listen to Carl's mom." He muttered.

Sophia had noticed shortly after they had been on the road that Duane avoided Lori as much as he could, but it was hard on him since Rick was the one that was supposedly taking on the responsibility of keeping an eye on him. Sophia had came up with the idea for him to go start talking to Merle. When Duane had asked her what he was suppose to talk to the man about she really didn't know what could break the ice. So she just suggested asking the man how he had known what to do the night they had saved the others.

She had learned a while ago that one of Merle's favorite things to talk about was Merle. He was a different man than the one her and Carl had found in the shack but he was still Merle. He'd talked Duane's ear off for a long time after that. And Duane had been smart about it too, not just listening to Merle's stories but also encouraging him. Merle wasn't the type of man that needed much encouraging. It wasn't long after that that Lori had tried to butt in, telling Duane, right in front of Merle, that he didn't have any business spending any time with the likes of Merle Dixon.

Sophia rolled her eyes at the memory. Any chance Merle could grab to piss that woman off he took it. He had towered over her, asking her if she was the kids momma. Of course she had to say no, obviously. So Merle had grinned at her and told her to mind her own fucking business and that from now on he would be the one to look after the kid. To Sophia's surprise Lori had actually looked relieved.

Carl scurried back with a grin on his face and three beers clutched to his chest. He handed them each a bottle and glanced around.

"What are we suppose to do? Just sit here and get drunk and hope that one of the other fifteen people around here don't spot us?" Duane asked with a frown. "I might be okay regardless but I don't know about you two.

Carl just shrugged. "If you aren't Dixon enough to sneak around and drink a little then maybe Merle should let Milton and Andrea adopt you."

"Carl Grimes, that's an awful thing to say." Sophia snapped.

He blew out a breath. "It was just a joke.

"I wont claim to be a Dixon, but I've spent enough time with Merle to know how to get a person back without them ever knowing it was me. Dixon's are sneaky like that sometimes. Stuff like that rubs off on a kid."

"Ooh, Duane's getting all cryptic now, Carl. Better watch out." Sophia laughed as she clutched the bottle in her hand.

"You startin' on me too?" Duane narrowed his eyes and then he grinned at them both. "Okay, let's see how funny you two think you are when I let Daryl over there know how worried I am about you both?"

Carl and Sophia both frowned and looked at each other, Sophia was the one to ask the obvious. "What are you talking about? Worried about us for what?"

Duane shrugged and then leaned back on his elbows. "You know, we're all like family here, and maybe I'm worried about the two of you sneaking off and kissing when you think no one is looking." He winked and Sophia could have sworn that even that wink had Merle Dixon written all over it. As did that dry smirk that followed.

"You wouldn't." Carl narrowed his eyes.

"You sure about that?" Duane asked.

"Let's go Carl." Sophia said as she pulled the boy up by the hand. She turned to stalk off.

"Where are you two going?" Duane asked, sitting up again, smirk wiped clean.

"Away from you, jerk." Sophia called over her shoulder. When she realized she hadn't dropped Carl's hand yet she instantly let go.

Duane hurried after them, pushing himself between them and throwing an arm over each of their shoulders. "Come on, guys. You know I would never really rat you out. By all means, kiss all you want."

He shut up after Sophia nailed him in the ribs with a sharp elbow. "We weren't kissing." She hissed.

The three of them stopped once they were finally out of the light of the fire. Duane's new cocky attitude was drying up now as he looked from one face to the other. "You guys sure about this? I mean, you know if they catch us you two are gonna be in big time trouble."

Carl just shrugged and used the hem of his shirt to twist off the cap. He handed the open bottle to Sophia and then took the other from her, opening that one as well and then sniffing the top. Duane did the same so Sophia joined in.

"It doesn't smell _that_ bad." She mused as both boys wrinkled their noses.

"On three?" Carl asked.

They both nodded, Carl counted and they all three turned up their stolen beers and took a long swig from the bottle just like they had seen the others do all night.

Carl and Duane managed to swallow theirs down but Sophia turned her head, spraying the foul tasting stuff out of her mouth. "Oh my God. How can they drink this crap?" She muttered as she wiped her mouth off on the back of her hand.

Duane and Carl both made disgusted faces and then looked dejectedly at their mostly full bottles.

"You kids having fun?"

They all three turned at the sound of Dale's voice, hiding the beers behind their backs.

"Yes sir." Duane said with a nod.

"What's behind your backs?" Dale asked with a knowing smile.

Sophia knew it was over. She showed Dale the bottle and then the boys followed suit. Dale clucked his tongue and then took them one by one and dumped them out.

"Let's go back over here where it's warmer and I'll tell you all a story about my first experience with alcohol."

The trio followed the man back to the blanket, Sophia stifled a groan. Sometimes Dales stories never seemed to have an end.

"Thanks a lot, Grimes." Duane whispered as they settled down for an extra boring night.

~H~

She was all over him before he could even get down the hallway. Her mouth hot on his her hands pushing off his vest and then trailing up to his broad chest. The whole while all he was trying to do was kiss her back and clear his head enough to figure out how he was going to go about doing this. It wasn't like he was the one that had never done it before. He had done it plenty of times. But never with anyone he gave a shit about and certainly never someone that he knew he was about to hurt. He couldn't even fit two fingers in the girl so this was going to be a real mother fucker.

So why the hell was she so eager? He told her that it wouldn't be any good. Not this time. He shouldn't have even mentioned it. He could have just kept on with their junior high bullshit for as long as she would have him and then that be all. But he wanted her. And for some crazy ass fucked up reason she wanted him just as bad.

He finally had the bedroom door open and she went in backwards, pulling him by the shirt that she had fisted in her hands.

"So you finally came around, huh?" She whispered and then her mouth was on his again.

"You ain't gonna be too happy about it in about five minutes, girl." He growled when he pulled away. He had put his bag by the bed earlier. That was where he had stashed all the condoms he had grabbed earlier. He hadn't wanted to keep them in his jacket like some freak. Carol had a habit now of just grabbing it and putting it on whenever she got cold. He had made a mental note of picking one up for her if they ever found a store that had them.

"Just this one time. I trust you." She whispered as she tugged his shirt up, hands instantly going to the hard muscled chest.

He frowned in the dark. Had she really just said that? No one trusted Merle Dixon. Not even himself. So what the fuck was she doing saying shit like that to him?

She pulled away but was back in seconds and when her bare skin met his he forgot what it was he had been thinking about. Her hand slid down the front of his jeans and then she was tugging at the button. He let her have her way for now. Later, however, he was going to have to figure out how he was going to go about doing this. He didn't know if he should take it slow or just go right for it. He had no idea how to _not_ hurt her.

He grabbed her around the waist with one arm and then backed her into the bed. He couldn't just stand there kissing her all night. He had been careful with her for weeks and now it was time to stop fucking around and do it already. He wasn't a pussy. He wasn't scared of this girl. He never gave a shit before whether or not the other person liked it, he was in it to get his own rocks off.

He sighed internally. But this wasn't just someone else. This was Maggie. And Maggie mattered even if he couldn't figure out why.

When she felt the bed behind her she didn't remove her arms from around her neck or her mouth from his. She pulled him down on top of her and scooted herself back so her legs weren't hanging off the edge of the bed.

He pulled his face away from hers when she started moving her hips back and forth, grinding herself against him, he could feel what little control he had slipping quickly so he slid down a bit until his face was buried in her chest. He nearly growled when she guided his head to her breasts with her hands.

A little more of that control slipped away. His mouth assaulted her first and then he used his teeth to pull at the tender skin, maybe a little more rough than he should have been. That was the problem with this. He didn't know how to be gentle. But she must not have minded because she gasped and then used her hands to hold his head in place. So far he had used his hand on her a lot. He didn't trust himself enough to go any further, knowing that if he got the slightest taste of her then he would throw all caution to the wind like he had done on the farm when she had taken her shirt off. He had been about ready to go ahead and take her right there. Until he found out that she had never even had sex before. Then he had stopped himself. Just barely. But this wasn't like it was on the farm. He had given her every chance in the world to move on and forget about him but she stuck by him for weeks now. And now he didn't have to worry about it. He'd made his decision and he was sticking to it. Besides, weeks in this world was like years. They were to him anyway. Every day had been a battle for survival and he wasn't going to go out without having her first. He knew it sounded bad but it was the truth.

He lowered his head to her stomach and she held her breath. He hadn't touched her in over a week. Not the way he had wanted too. A few stolen kisses here and there but he had basically kept his hands to himself, figuratively speaking. So she was really squirming under him now. His head ghosted lower and her breath came out in a rush, her hands pushing the top of his head down until his mouth was inches away from her. He could feel the heat from her on his face.

That did it. All the control that he had been trying to hold onto flew straight out the window. He didn't hesitate or take his time at all. He nearly devoured her, tongue lapping and lips tugging, causing her to actually sit straight up. He shoved her back down, never breaking stride, never loosing his single minded focus.

He had wanted to do this for a long time and even when she was writhing and panting and trying to push his head away he kept going. He didn't stop until she came again, back arching off the bed, a strangled cry escaping her lips. When she finally came down he lifted his head quickly and yanked the bag up from off the floor.

It didn't take him too long to put the condom on one handed. He was an old pro. He figured that she was about as worked up as she had ever been in her life and he hoped like hell that it had helped at least a little bit. One good thing about it was the fact that this wasn't going to be his finest moment. He'd be lucky if he didn't get off as soon as he put it in. He couldn't remember a time he ever wanted something as bad as he wanted her. No other woman, no drugs. Even when he was hooked on the hard stuff and had to go through detox, even then he didn't want another hit as bad as he wanted her right then.

Her hands slid up around his neck when he finally lowered himself over her. This was going to be the hard part. He had no clue how to do this. She kissed him hard and then her lips trailed down to his shoulder. She seemed to be relaxed, distracted. He just wanted to get this over with. He was going to warn her but he figured if he did that then she would just start to get tense and it would be worse than it had to be. So without warning he shoved himself into her swiftly, feeling that barrier break. She yelped in pain and tried to bring her legs together. He froze, not sure what to do anymore. He felt like an asshole. She made a small whimpering sound and he was glad for the dark because if he had seen any kind of pain on her face he wouldn't have been able to live with himself.

"I'll stop. Just tell me to stop and I'll stop, alright." His voice was strained. This was probably the most pleasure he had ever felt from a woman and he couldn't even enjoy it.

"No." She whispered, her voice shaking. "Don't stop."

He started moving into her then, slowly, until she relaxed her legs and then hesitantly she wrapped them around him, her arms going around his neck once more as she raised her head up slightly to kiss him. "You okay?" He asked when she pulled away and let her head fall back down onto the pillow.

"Yeah." She whispered and her voice sounded more normal, stronger.

He felt better then but still kept his pace slow and easy. He knew it still didn't feel good to her. Not yet. Him on the other hand, he felt like he was about half out of his mind with how good she felt and even though he wasn't moving as fast as he would have loved too he could feel that tightening in himself. He sped up just a little, unable to stop himself and she must have been able to tell that he was close because her mouth moved close to his ear.

"Come for me Merle." She breathed.

That had him coming undone. He groaned into her neck as he felt a wave of pleasure crash over him, more intense than anything he had ever felt before. He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut as he just kept coming. Her hands were all over him, running up and down his back and stroking his neck. When it was finally over he kissed her as he pulled his body away from hers. He put his forehead against her chest as she ran her fingers across his shoulders. He could hear her heart hamming in her chest, her breathing coming fast and hard.

"You okay?" He asked again as he rolled off of her and onto his back. There was a small waste basket next to the bed where he tossed the condom.

She curled up next to him and laid her head on his chest. "It actually wasn't as awful as I thought it was gonna be."

"Mmm, what every man wants to hear after fuckin'. You got about as much tact as I do, darlin'."

She slapped his chest and laughed. He was glad to hear it. He was afraid she wouldn't even want to talk to him after that.

**Okay, I know that the Merle and Maggie finally getting it on wasn't as... well... hot as some other stuff you have read. But I had to keep in mind that Maggie wouldn't have been enjoying herself quite as much as Carol gets too in these chapters. Haha. So, I had to do the best I could and I hope it met your expectations! And the kids sneaking beer, it made me feel all nostalgic. I was totally stealing my dads beer at that age. I never spit it out though. In my house that was called "alcohol abuse". No wasting that stuff, even if it was stolen. No, really, I thought that really was the definition of alcohol abuse until I was like, 14. And no. I didn't end up becoming an alcoholic XD Anyway, moving on from my sleep deprived rambles about virginity and alcohol, I hope you liked this chapter! Review. Because I totally ADORE the reviews ;) I must not have gotten enough attention as a child. Either that or I was too drunk to remember it. No really, that last part was a joke. I really need to sleep now! Good day!**


	76. Chapter 76

**Oh dear. This is THE chapter that finally lets you all know where I am going with our group. Keep in mind that I have been building up the characters of Sophia, Carl and Duane for a specific reason. They are hard asses because I need them to be. This new warrior attitude that Merle has distilled in them will serve a purpose eventually. I'm not just making them act this way because it's fun. Even though it IS fun. SO, I hope you like where I am going with this. I would love to hear your thoughts! Thank you for all of your reviews. Haha! Merlie was a success! I am glad =) **

Chapter Seventy Six

Daryl didn't know what time it was when he finally opened his eyes. He knew that his head was killing him and his body was sore. But it was a good sore. The sun was bright shining through the narrow windows so he shut his eyes again and buried his face into Carol's neck. She was naked, her back pressed against him, his arm wrapped around her waist.

"How's your head?" She asked sleepily as she reached up with one hand and ran it through his hair without turning to face him.

"Fuckin' poundin'. He grumbled into her neck.

"That bad, huh?" She chuckled as she removed her hand from his hair and laced her fingers through his, pulling his arm around her tighter.

He tried to ignore the pain and kissed shoulder. She turned her head slightly to look at him and smiled. "You were so drunk." She laughed and he buried his head again, feeling the heat rise in his face. Why had he drank so much?

"Was I bad?" He asked. He couldn't remember much at all.

"You and T-dog." She shook her head and laughed as she rolled over onto her back. "If you remembered everything from last night the two of you would leave the group right now, hanging your heads in shame."

"Son of a bitch." He moaned into her neck. "What the fuck did we do?"

"Well, for starters you told the entire group that he was your best friend and that you loved him even though he wasn't as pretty as you. Then he did the same. The two of you argued over who was prettiest and then the two of you sang a song."

He rolled over onto his back, covering his eyes with his arm. "You're bull shittin' me."

"Oh I wish I was. I really do. After the song was over he threw up on your boots."

"Mother fucker." He covered his face with his hands and sighed. "What'd we sing?"

"Lean on me." She laughed.

"Mother fucker," He said again. "Didn't you even think to help me out? You coulda stopped me." He grumbled threw his hands.

"I tried."

Just then the door swung open and Merle strolled in, grinning from ear to ear. "Up and at'em, sunshine."

"Get the fuck out, Merle." He growled. It was just like the farm all over again.

Throwing clothes at them on his way he came over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Take these." He grinned as he handed Daryl two pills and a water bottle.

Daryl eyed the man. "Last time you told me that, and I listened, I woke up naked in somebodies garage. I ain't takin' shit."

Merle laughed and the sound caused his head to throb even more.

"It's just Advil, little brother. The old man sent'em, swear to God."

Daryl still didn't trust him but he would do about anything at this point to make the pain in his head go away. "The hell you keep lookin' at me like that for?" He asked as he swallowed down the pills and finished off half the bottle of water.

Merle just shrugged and got up. "Rick wants to check out the rest of the town, then we decided whether we head out or stick around another day or two. Wouldn't mind stayin' for a few more days myself." He hesitated with his hand on the doorknob, gave Daryl a long look and then grinned again. "You had yourself too much fun last night, little brother."

"Go the hell away, Merle."

Merle left the room and then he heard Carol laughing once more. "Shut up." he growled as he pulled on his pants.

When they made there way to the kitchen it seemed like everyone was already there. Rick and Merle were both leaning against the counter, probably discussing the days plans. Daryl knew that Rick would want to move soon. Staying in one place too long was too risky as far as he was concerned. He had made that clear when he refused to stay in one camp for more than one day.

Daryl didn't even care what the plan was at the moment. He sat down heavily in one of the kitchen chairs, not realizing he had sat down right across from T-dog.

He looked up at Daryl with bloodshot eyes. "Next time Glen runs across any kind of alcohol, I say we both kick his ass."

Daryl nodded. "I was just thinkin' the same thing."

Andrea and Milton came in then, her eyes zeroing in on the two men at the table. Daryl stifled a groan.

"So, do we get an encore?" She smiled.

"Fuck off, blondie." Daryl grumbled as he laid his aching head on the table.

"What's she talking about?" T-dog asked suspiciously.

Daryl just shook his head. "Trust me, you don't even wanna know."

They decided to split up this time, leaving part of the group behind. Daryl, Merle and Rick would go scour more of the town and the rest would stay behind. Sophia decided then to kick up a shit storm over being left behind and the boys, who were usually more reserved than her joined in.

Daryl didn't want her to go but when Merle gave Duane the okay the other two were furious.

"Seriously, Merle?" Daryl growled. "Do you ever use your fuckin' head. They're kids."

Merle narrowed his eyes, "Kid's that's already saved your ass once, little brother. You forgettin' that? They ain't a bunch of babies."

He felt Carol's hand on his arm. "We went through the town already, Daryl. She's armed. As long as she's with you she'll be fine." he whispered.

He glared at her. "Not as fine as she would be if she kept her ass here with you." He growled.

The look in her soft blue eyes hardened and he felt her hand tighten on his bicep. "I'm not the only one you've managed to pull away from these last few week, Daryl. Maybe you haven't noticed, but _she_ has and it isn't fair."

His eyes flicked over to where Sophia was standing with Carl and Duane. She looked up and her eyes found his. He couldn't identify the expression on her face but after a minute that felt suspended, she tore her eyes away and looked back towards Carl who had started talking to her.

He felt uneasy for some reason. The look she had given him was off. Like she barely knew who the hell he was. He had felt bad for making Carol feel like shit. Really bad actually, but this was worse. Carol understood him. Understood him better than he did himself half the time so it was easy for her to get over his bullshit when he started acting like a dick. But Sophia was different. She expected more from him and he had definitely not delivered. They had talked yesterday and he thought that it was water under the bridge. He realized now that she was waiting for him to put that wall up again. Like she didn't trust him anymore.

Without even realizing it he was standing over her. "You wanna go?" He asked. He expected an instant 'yes' or at least a nod. Instead she glanced towards her friends.

"Are you guys going?" She asked.

Duane nodded, Carl glanced up at Rick who finally sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

She nodded then. "As long as it's okay with my mom."

Ouch. "It is. She's the one that said I should take ya with me."

"I figured, Daryl." She mumbled as she stormed past him, heading straight towards Merle with Duane in tow.

Merle grinned at them. "Ya'll packin'?

Sophia and Duane both nodded. For Merle she had a smile.

"Extra ammo?" Merle asked.

They showed him their spare clips and then they all headed out. Daryl kept glancing at her but she caught him looking at her a few times and gave him an uneasy smile. Had he really been that bad? He didn't even have to ask himself. He must have been worse than he thought. Carol had been completely furious with him and now Sophia was waiting on him to stiffen up and snap at her like an asshole. It was like she was forcing herself to not give him the cold shoulder. The same cold shoulder that he had probably, without even realizing it, been giving her over the last few weeks.

Merle, Rick, Carl and Duane were ahead of them a little bit and right before they entered the building he placed his hand on the back of her neck and stopped her. He nodded to the others and they disappeared through the doorway. She looked up at him questioningly.

"I'm sorry, alright. I've been a fuck up and I'm sorry for it. I swear, from now on shit goes back to the way it was. You just have to trust me." He said briskly. He hated apologizing but he knew she needed to hear it and it was true.

She narrowed her eyes and studied him for a while before finally nodding. "I missed you, ya know?" She said in a small voice. "I need you."

He blew out a breath and crouched down in front of her. "It wont happen again."

She finally smiled at him. "At least your man enough to admit when you're a jerk."

"Not usually." He gave her shoulder a squeeze and then stood up so they could join the ones that had disappeared through the doorway.

They were searching for guns now. Having left a good portion of theirs on the farm it was smart to try to stock back up. Not that they would ever be able to find the same types of guns they had gotten from Jenner, but more was much better than less in this situation.

They had been going full steam for a while now and so far they hadn't found anything. Well, a few knives here and there, a hatchet. The town was too small to hold much. There wasn't even a pawn shop to be scavenged.

"What do the two of you think about staying for one more night?" Rick asked as they made their way down the sidewalk towards the apartments.

Daryl shrugged. "Don't see why we can't stay longer. That place is pretty much the best place we've found. We got outside access so we could have fires for cookin'. Board those windows and reenforce the doors to make it more secure. The store is close." He shrugged.

Rick was quiet for a long time but then he shook his head. "I don't know. If a herd the size of the one that showed up on the farm comes through, if they get in there ain't no where to go. We'd be trapped in there. Just seems too risky."

"And sleepin' in the fuckin' open seems safer to you?" Merle stopped walking and glared at Rick. Normally Daryl would tell Merle to shut his mouth but not this time. He actually agreed with his brother. If this place wasn't safe enough then no place was going to be safe enough. There was nothing out there. At least this way the kids could have a small sense of normalcy. Not like they did on the farm but it was a huge step up from sleeping in the dirt and running for their lives.

They were changing. They weren't even kids anymore. Not to him. Daryl could see the change in their eyes every day they were on the road. Killing was becoming normal, fear was normal. Running was normal. Starving was normal.

"I didn't say that it was safer, Merle." Rick said with a scowl. "All I'm sayin' is that if a herd came through I would rather my family have a chance to get away from them. Instead of waiting for them like sitting ducks. It ain't safe enough there."

"It ain't safe anywhere you fuckin' moron!" Merle roared. "Especially with your pompous ass at the wheel. You're bullshit is gonna get us all killed."

"I've kept this group alive." Rick hissed as he stepped closer to Merle.

"You have, have ya? So tell me how the fuck you figure that when it's been my brother feedin' _your_ family every day?"

Rick took a step closer and then Merle closed the distance. They were nearly nose to nose. Daryl thought about getting between them but just watched. He was tired of running. Tired of surviving day to day. This time Merle was right.

"What the hell's your problem, Merle? Is there somethin' you got to say to me? Cause if so just come out and say it." Rick spat angrily.

"I'm tired of you thinkin' that it's your call. It ain't. And if I ain't mistaken, you lose this whole group if Daryl don't go along with all your asinine bullshit. You need to be kissin' his ass right about now Sheriff. Seems to me like he's the only goddamn reason anybody followed your ass this far."

"Merle!" Duane nearly shouted and then grabbed his hand.

Merle glanced down and then followed Duane's wide eyes. Merle cursed under his breath and then stepped in front of the boy.

Daryl felt Sophia's hand in his right before he saw what Duane had first spotted. He had expected a herd. Or at least a small band of Walkers. What he saw still made his blood run cold. He mimicked Merle and shoved Sophia behind him and brought the crossbow around as three men made their way down the center of the street.

Merle drew his gun and Rick already had his revolver at his side.

"How you want us to handle this, Merle?" Duane asked from behind him.

Merle kept his eyes on the men that were still a good ways down the road. "You keep your guns outta sight. They wont expect anything from you three. You see'em draw on us or shit starts gittin harry, kill'em."

"Merle!" Rick hissed.

"Dad, he knows what he's doing." Carl muttered from behind them.

Rick's face was a mask of anger when he glanced over at Merle who was smirking as he watched the three men approach.

Daryl kept his bow trained on the one in the center and when they got within a half a block Merle and Rick both raised their weapons. "That's about far enough." Merle warned.

Daryl could only imagine the look on Rick's face as Merle pulled the position of leader right out from under him. Daryl was used to it. It had always been this way. Merle was the vocal one and then Daryl was the one that cleaned up after Merle's mouth would manage to get them in trouble. But Daryl wasn't like Rick. He didn't have anything to prove. He wasn't nobodies leader. He had never wanted to be.

The three men raised their hands in the air. Daryl was grimly reminded of the day at the farm when Randal had showed up with Dave and Tony. He couldn't help but wonder how Rick would react if Merle just killed them. No one ever knew when something like that could happen. Not when it came to his brother.

The man in the center took one more step and smiled. "We aren't here for trouble."

Merle stepped forward just one step himself. "I've heard all that shit before, mister. You best turn your asses around and go back to where you came from."

"Do you think we could talk?" The man asked. "We actually came to this town looking for survivors."

Rick sent Merle a steady glare and then he lowered his weapon. "Daryl, cover me." he said as he started walking towards the men.

"Dad, you need to listen to Merle." Carl said angrily.

Rick just shook his head as he walked on.

"You've grown on me, kid." Merle grumbled. "But your daddy is a dumb ass."

Daryl and Merle glanced at one another and nodded before following Rick towards the men. Daryl never lowered the crossbow but Merle let the gun drop to his side. Rick was already talking to the man that had stepped forward when they reached them and Daryl had to admit that the guy didn't really seem to be all that dangerous.

"We were looking for survivors when we saw you. Others we've found so far weren't so quick to pull weapons." He smiled, "That was why we were making our way over so quickly. Didn't expect anyone to want to shoot us."

"Well," Rick said cautiously, "We've had a run in with some pretty bad people recently. Walkers don't seem to be the only thing that's a threat anymore."

"Well, I assure you that we aren't here to pose a threat. If you'd like you can take our own weapons, just a show of good faith. I can see by that uniform you got that I don't have to worry about you gunning down a few unarmed men." That smile returned and Merle and Daryl shared another look.

"Oh, don't let the uniform fool ya. He's a real son of a bitch if ya wanna know the truth." Merle said as he glared at the man.

Rick rolled his eyes. "You two wanna get their weapons. I know I'd feel a lot better about this."

Daryl and Merle grudgingly obliged. They each carried a few handguns but that was about it. Daryl stood up after removing the weapon from the man that had been standing directly in front of him and when he glanced up the mans eyes locked on his and he smirked. Daryl instantly wanted to punch the guy in the mouth. He could tell this guy would probably give them trouble if not for the man that was still talking to Rick.

Daryl took a step back and then turned when he heard the leader speak in a much softer voice. The man was knelt down now, just a few inches from Sophia, who was staring him down with narrowed eyes.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" The man asked and he brought his hand up but then froze before Daryl or Merle could warn him not to touch her. Daryl stepped around him and saw why. Sophia had her gun pressed against his temple.

"Keep your hands to yourself, mister." Sophia growled. "I ain't the touchy feely type."

"Jesus, Sophia." Daryl said as he moved her back by her shoulders.

The man looked up at Daryl before standing, holding his hands out in front of him. His eyes were wide but he smiled again when he looked down at her. "I'm sorry. Your daddy there taught you well." He nodded towards Daryl. No one corrected the man. "You're a real soldier, huh?"

"You mind tellin' us who the hell you are and what your doing looking for survivors?" Rick asked impatiently.

Daryl kept his eyes on the men but reached down and took Sophia's hand. He leaned down so his face was next to hers. "Good girl." He whispered.

She gave his hand a squeeze and then he focused on the man once more.

The man was all smiles again and now he held out his hand for Rick to shake. "Well, the names Philip, actually. But back home they just call me Governor."


	77. Chapter 77

**How many of you guessed that I was going to go there? Well, I hope you're getting excited again. I'm always worried about boring people. And just keep in mind that I completely LOATH the Governor. And also, more stuff is going to start happening and I'm going to try my best to keep the updates flowing as fast as I can but there is definitely going to be days where I only post one chapter. *gasp* I know. It happens, but it will happen more frequently now that I am at this part of the story. But the chapters are getting longer too so that has to count for something ;) So read on, my friends. I hope you enjoy this one. Thank you for the reviews! It helps. A LOT! Let me know what you think! And have a great morning! =)**

Chapter Seventy Seven

Carol knew there wasn't anything to worry about but she worried anyway. It was one of the things she did best. She was standing in the courtyard talking to Andrea and she had just realized that she had no idea what Andrea was even saying. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

Andrea rolled her eyes and then walked over to a bench. Carol followed. "I was saying that I think we should talk to the group about staying here."

Carol looked around. It really was nice to be able to be outdoors again without that constant threat hanging over her head. But Rick had said over and over that staying in one place for too long was dangerous. But what were his plans? Running forever. Lori was going to have a baby and even though that wasn't really an issue at the moment it would be eventually.

"So, what do you think?" Andrea asked.

Carol nodded. "Your probably right. The way this place is set up is pretty perfect. I just don't know if Rick will go for it."

Andrea made an annoyed sound in the back of her throat as she leaned against the back of the bench. "We could do what we did at the farm. You and I can talk to everyone else before he gets back. Make everyone jump on board. He wouldn't take his family and leave with just the three of them. It would be suicide."

Carol looked down at her hands. That was exactly what Daryl had suggested yesterday. She knew that Rick was under a lot of pressure but she didn't think he was under as much as Daryl. Everyone looked at Rick for guidance and leadership but then Rick himself looked at Daryl for survival. It was two places she was glad she would never find herself in.

"Do you really think it would be safe to stay?" She asked.

Andrea draped an arm over her shoulders and smiled. "This is probably the safest place we'll find. No where is totally safe but this place can be defended from Walkers and we still have a decent supply of guns and ammo. We could have a real home." She grinned. "And would you stop worrying. They'll be back any minute now."

She felt the corners of her mouth turn up. Sometimes she had no clue what she would do without Andrea. She glanced towards the glass doors that they had left open. Something was going on inside now. There were several people all talking at once. They got up, drew their guns and hurried inside. There were three newcomers standing in front of Daryl by the front door. Rick was holding up a hand trying to establish some sort of order as every person in the room had weapons trained on the men.

"Shut the fuck up a second!" Merle shouted over the others. Everyone grew quiet and the three men looked at one another worriedly.

Her eyes spotted Sophia as she took off down the hallway with the boys on her heels.

~H~

Sophia slammed the door to the bedroom that she had shared with Beth the night before. "This is bullshit." She growled as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You two know this is bullshit, right?"

Carl and Duane glanced at one another and then back to her. "It just don't sit right with me." Duane said somberly, "But what can we do? Nobody is gonna listen to anything we have to say."

Carl glanced between the two of them. "Merle was right. We should just stay here. The only people we can trust anymore is our own. Those people are strangers and from what the leader said there's a lot more of them than there are of us."

Sophia felt better knowing that she at least had them on her side. When she had listened to that creep talking about that stupid town of his he kept glancing down at her. It gave her the creeps. She should have shot the bastard in the head as soon as he tried to touch her.

"I don't like the way he was looking at you." Carl said, his face growing hard.

Duane nodded in agreement. "Me neither. One of us should have shot that asshole. Then we wouldn't be in this mess."

She had tried to catch Daryl's eye out there but he had been all ears as the man told them about why they had been out looking for survivors. The town was closed off so Walkers couldn't get in and he had mentioned lots of other people. Stores, food, electricity, even a school, which she was definitely going to refuse to go to. She didn't need other people and she sure as hell didn't need school. What could they teach her that she didn't already know? She could already read and write. She needed to know how to protect herself and her family. Merle and Daryl had already taught her that.

Just when she thought things were going to get better this had to happen. They had found the store and stocked up on food and supplies. They had found this building, which could really be their home. _Their _home. Not a town full of strangers that could turn out to be total psychos. Hadn't they learned anything from their run in with those maniacs that had been Randal's group? You couldn't trust the living. Sometimes the living were worse than the dead.

"Maybe no one will buy it." Carl said as he sat down heavily onto the bed. "Maybe we can still just stay here."

Duane scoffed. "You're dad already showed them this place. Even if we don't go to that town, we wont be able to stay here."

Carl looked down at his boots, Duane flopped down onto his back and Sophia fingered the small charm at the end of her necklace. "We were so close to everything finally getting better." She sighed.

She felt Duane's hand pat her back. "Maybe somehow this'll all work out. And not to change the subject or anything but, girl, you were bad ass out there." He gave her one more pat and then chuckled.

She couldn't help the grin that was tugging at the corners of her mouth but it didn't stay there long. She laid her head on Carl's shoulder and sighed. They sat like that for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts until suddenly the door opened and her mom and Daryl walked in. She didn't move her head from where it still rested on Carl's, now tense, shoulder.

Daryl scowled but didn't say anything as her mom shut the door. She could tell by the guarded looks on their faces that the news was going to be grim. At least for the three of them.

"We're going to go to a town called Woodbury." Carol said as she searched Sophia's face.

She finally raised her head. She tried to make her face as neutral as she could as she nodded stiffly. "Okay." She said quietly. What was the sense in fighting them on this? Her only hope was Daryl and Merle. Surely they wouldn't fall for this man's crap. Or would they? If they believed that this was the only way to keep everyone safe then maybe they really would believe the man. Maybe they were just that desperate.

"Ya sure you're alright with this?" Daryl said after studying her for a few seconds.

She gave him a dry smile. "What good would it do me to fight?"

He frowned. "This really is the only option we have, kid." He argued and then she realized that he was trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince her.

"And what if the guy is full of crap?" Carl said angrily.

Sophia shot him a look. He was looking right at Daryl, eyes flashing.

Daryl crossed his arms across his chest and glared at the boy. "You got another fuckin' plan in your pocket? Some grand scheme to keep us alive, boy? Cause if you do then I'd love to hear all about it. And if you don't then I'd advise you keeping your trap shut."

"You know you guys are probably gonna drive us right into our graves right?" Carl said angrily, ignoring the angry look on Daryl's face, "How many times have I heard you say to only trust our own? That's a town full of people that we don't know."

Daryl looked dangerous and Sophia, without thinking grabbed Carl's hand before he could shoot up off the bed. She had to admit, she was impressed.

"Then what should we do you little smart ass? Go back out there on the road. We're almost up to twenty people right now. You think that haul we got from the store is gonna feed us all for long? Would you rather us starve to death? Or maybe freeze? Or maybe not be able to find fuel for the vehicles and then try to outrun a herd on foot. We're fuckin' dead either way you look at it so stop givin' me shit. Go talk to your goddamn dad. He's the one that brought'em here. Not _me._"

Sophia let go of Carl's hand as soon as Daryl's eyes zeroed in on it. Carl didn't look like he had any fight left in him anyway. He pretty much looked the same as Daryl now. Defeated. She could sympathize. She felt the same way. One quick glance at Duane confirmed that it was a mutual feeling. The only person that didn't look as though they were about to go to a funeral was her mom. She was glaring at Daryl, her arms crossed.

"Can I talk to you?" She snapped and Sophia could see the exasperation all over his face.

"Mom?" She said before she even knew what she was going to say. "Can I talk to him first? Alone?"

Carl and Duane got up to leave but Carol just eyed her for a second. With a weary sigh she nodded and followed the boys out.

When the door was firmly closed Sophia launched herself off the bed. "We can't do this, Daryl. You know how dangerous this is? Are they all for it? Every damn one of them?"

He shook his head but didn't mention any names. He looked away, towards the window, that defeated look taking root on his face once again.

"Merle, right?" She asked quietly.

On cue the door flew open, banging into the wall and then slamming shut after Merle and Duane entered the room. Duane shot Sophia a wide eyed look and then hurried over to stand next to her. Carl slipped in before Merle could even open his mouth.

"Mother fucker!" Merle roared and then turned around and kicked the wall. His foot went through it.

"Calm the fuck down, Merle." Daryl said in a hushed tone.

"We have to do somethin'." Duane muttered looking at the men. "We gotta make a plan or somethin'. We can't just march in there like a bunch of targets."

Merle's head shot up and he looked at Duane, eventually he grinned at him wickedly. "Good boy." The grin stayed in place as he looked from face to face. "He's right. We need to think of somethin'. Somethin' quick too."

Daryl snorted. "Don't you think I've already been doin' that, dumb ass?"

"I don't think we have to worry about anything. Not right away. Do you?" Sophia asked. "I mean, Rick gave them the option to turn around and go while you all had your weapons on them but the guy was real determined to talk to you. He wouldn't invite us to that town if he wanted us dead. But something isn't right with him."

Carl finally spoke up. "He said that they looked for survivors because they are trying to build a real community and the more people they have the more secure the town is. So they try to find people to take them back to the town. That way the people they find are safe and the town is better protected."

Merle and Daryl shared a look. Sophia had listened to all the crap the man was spouting out there on the street. She had watched Rick as he absorbed it all and took the mans word.

"It sounds legit." Merle muttered. "Too legit."

Duane shook his head. "I still don't trust the guy. Maybe it's just cause of what happened on the farm and what happened before that with me and my dad. But the only people I'm trusting is ours."

"Me neither, kid." Daryl said as he crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "We all have been through too much shit to think any different."

"So everyone else is all for this?" Carl asked the same question Sophia had asked Daryl.

Daryl nodded. "I think they're all just hopin'. Everybody wants this to be the real deal."

Sophia sat back down on the bed, the wheels in her brain spinning furiously. When she looked up Daryl and Merle were watching her. "I think I have an idea." She let the corner of her mouth turn up in a smile.

~H~

Carol could understand why Daryl was so frustrated. He didn't trust people. It was that simple. It didn't help that she was the exact opposite. She trusted too easily. Which made little sense to her since she had been duped by a man like Ed. If anything she should have been just as, if not more, cautious than Daryl. She could tell that Merle felt the same way. Especially after he had stormed off and slammed the door. She just wished that Daryl could have kept his mouth shut. At least in front of the kids. Like they didn't already have enough on their shoulders. The change in them just since leaving the farm was monumental. They weren't even children anymore. Not in the way they acted or spoke. They were adults trapped in the bodies of children. Even their faces had matured.

That was the whole reason she was doing this. By agreeing with the rest of her eager group she had inadvertently taken sides. And right now it wasn't Daryl's side she was on. But the group had to try for the kids. They needed stability. They needed to be children for as long as they could. If it wasn't already too late. And she feared it was. They had been put in situations that she herself had never even been put in. Both boys had killed living men. She wasn't even sure what she would do if she was put in that situation herself, but she was sure that if she took someones life, she wouldn't have handled it the way they had, with complete indifference. It scared her. Sophia scared her.

Sometimes it felt as though she wasn't even her daughter anymore. She was like a stranger to her at times. She knew that Rick and Lori felt the same way about Carl. The whole group was worried. But she didn't think that any of them were as worried as she was. Sophia needed this too work. The boys needed this to work.

She was about to go to the room to see what was going on when the door suddenly opened and they all filed out. She knew something was amiss as soon as she saw their faces. They were too calm. They were up to something and when Daryl looked at her and gave her that lopsided smirk of his, she knew it was bad. Merle winked at Duane who grinned up at him.

This was bad. This would end badly, she was sure of it. The Dixon's were dangerous enough when they set their minds to something. Now they had back up. Sure they were just kids but these were kids that had been under Merle's wing for a while now.

"We need to talk." She grabbed Daryl's hand and nearly yanked him into the other bedroom. The one they had used. She shut the door firmly and then spun around. "What are you up too?"

He frowned. "What? Why the hell ya think I'm up to somethin'?"

"Because earlier the five of you were nearly throwing a fit about this. Then after ten minutes you all seem to be fine. You, Merle and all three of your minions."

He laughed. "We just figured it wasn't worth fightin'. We ain't a bunch of infants Carol."

She narrowed her eyes. He was lying. She didn't know how she knew because he seemed to be telling the truth but she wasn't going to fall for it. They were all much too relaxed now.

"Daryl, please don't do anything crazy." She said softly.

He put his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes at her. "I ain't. You think you can climb down off my back now? Fuck, Carol."

She felt her face grow hard once more. "No. I'll stay on your back for as long as it takes to convince me that you and Merle aren't planning something."

"Why do you want this so much?" He asked, finally letting some of that anger from earlier shine through. It actually made her feel better. This was how he was suppose to be acting.

"I want this for Sophia." She said quietly.

He snorted. "Sophia don't want this any more than I do."

Carol sighed. "You were the one that was intent on leaving the entire group. You think she would have wanted that anymore than she wants this? She needs this."

"Why do you keep tellin' me what she needs. The only thing we need to do is survive." He snapped.

"I'm tired of surviving. The more we try to survive the less we live. It sounds stupid but it's the truth."

He started chewing his thumb nail and she reached out and pulled his hand away from his mouth. He looked down, clearly still troubled despite his earlier good mood. "I don't see how you can just trust these assholes." He growled as she stepped foreword and put her head on his shoulder.

"I don't have a choice." She mumbled as his arms went around her.

~H~

Merle watched the men closely as they chatted with the rest of the group. Apparently they were excited to have Hershel and Milton since so far this little town of theirs didn't have a doctor. Not that Hershel or Milton either one were doctors, really, but he figured they were better than nothing. They had done an okay job so far.

He was starting to wonder where the hell Daryl was. He was much better at this people reading bullshit. Sophia stood next to the wall with Duane and Carl. Maggie was next to him and she looked as grim as he felt. She didn't trust these men any more than he did but she kept it to herself. He hadn't missed the way the leader looked at her when he was finally introduced to all of them.

The only other person that he could tell showed any mistrust with these men was, ironically enough, Randal. He was watching them with unveiled suspicion, much like Merle was doing himself. He hadn't made his dislike of them a secret. Sophia was openly glaring at the man who occasionally glanced up at her with this weird look on his face. Merle had to smile to himself when he thought of what the girl had done earlier. This Governor fellow hadn't been expecting that one at all. Hell, even Merle hadn't expected it.

Finally his brother and Carol came in. Daryl looked like he was trying to keep his face calm. Their eyes met and held for a few seconds before Daryl nodded slightly and then glared towards the men once more.

"So, how many people are in this town?" Rick asked from his spot on the couch.

"I believe we're up to seventy five now. A lot of women and children though. What we've been looking for are more men. Men that can help keep the town safe. Looks like we've hit the jackpot with your group here." He smiled. "Even your children are soldiers in this group." He cast another glance towards the kids, who were all glaring. "What about your women?" He asked.

"The fuck you wanna know about our women for?" Merle glared.

The man looked up, studying him curiously. "What I meant was, are they trained? The gun that little girl had digging into my head out there tells me that your children are, what about your women?"

Uh oh.

"Sophia!" Carol gasped as the room grew silent and all eyes fell on the girl.

Daryl made an exasperated sound.

The man held up his hand. "It's fine, it's fine. Your husband handled it quite well."

"Oh, I'm sure my _husband_ was real professional about the whole thing." She growled.

Merle almost laughed at how red Daryl's face was turning as everyone stared at him. Finally he grabbed Sophia's hand and they made their way to the courtyard. A glaring Carol was right on their heels.

"Poor Daryl." Maggie whispered.

Merle looked down at her and frowned. She looked worried. More worried than she should have been about Daryl facing the wrath of an angry woman. He reached up, pushing her hair behind her ears and causing her to smile slightly. "What's wrong?"

She glanced towards the men once more before her eyes came up to meet his. "I don't trust'em." She whispered. "I want too. I really do but I can't. It's just a feelin' I guess."

"This comin' from the girl that fell for a man like me?" he raised one eyebrow at her.

"You're a good man. It didn't take a genius to see that, just a person willin' to look. I don't see any good in them. But I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong."

Her words had a slow panic seizing hold of him. He was suspicious of everyone and he knew that Daryl, although a very different man than he had been, was still the same when it came to trusting other people. But Maggie wasn't like that at all. She was the type of person that searched until she found the good in others. So for her to say this about the men made him even more uneasy.

"If ya don't want this then we ain't gotta go. We can go somewhere else." He mumbled into her ear.

She shook her head and then wrapped her arms around his waist. "There ain't no where to go andI can't leave daddy and Beth."

He placed his hand on the back of her head and sighed. He'd kill every person in that fucking town to keep her safe. He glanced up and saw Duane and Carl watching him. He gave them a nod. They needed to get everything ready soon. He watched the boys slip down the hallway and into the bedroom that faced the street. He hoped they were careful out there.


	78. Chapter 78

**I know Carol seems to be in the wrong all the time here lately, but she's scared and she's putting all her hopes on Woodbury. Too bad hindsight is 20/20. XD I really think you guys are going to like where I go with her. And certain other characters. People start really stepping up. Unfortunately it doesn't happen in this chapter. =) But it's coming. Thanks for all of the reviews and the suggestions and the input! Hope you all enjoy and have a good morning! Review and stuff XD**

Chapter Seventy Eight

Daryl had tuned Carol out a long time ago. He was pretty sure that Sophia had done the same thing. They were both looking at their feet. He was picking at a hangnail while Sophia nervously fiddled with a charm at the end of a necklace that he had never noticed her wear before.

"I'm sorry. Am I boring the two of you?" Carol snapped.

Their heads came up at once. Daryl sighed. This whole conversation, which mostly consisted of Carol throwing a Dixon worthy fit over something as stupid as Sophia protecting herself, was getting old. "She's got every right to protect herself." He said for the thousandth time.

Carol threw up her hands in frustration. "You're going to apologize to that man." She said to Sophia.

Daryl glanced over and saw the steel in the girls eyes. This was going to be bad and he was going to have to pay for it just as much as Sophia would.

"That's not fair." She said quietly, her teeth were clenched.

"You put a gun to the head of an unarmed man! I understand you protecting yourself and protecting the group. What you did was something straight out of a 'Merle Dixon's guide to irrational behavior' book. That wasn't about protection. That was you letting me know that that town is exactly where you need to be." Carol said angrily.

"Don't put that on her." Daryl said as he felt Sophia tense at his side.

Carol flashed him daggers. "What? Don't put this on her? You can't be serious."

"If we go to that town and it ends up goin' bad. If we get ourselves hurt, I ain't havin' her believin' for the rest of her life that she was the reason we were there to begin with. I'll pack our shit and I'll leave right now, and you wont have a choice but to come along cause I'll take her ass with me. That or I'll go put a bullet in the mans brain right now before I let you put that on her."

Carol's face dropped. He braced himself for more of her fury but it didn't happen. Instead it seemed as though she lost all her steam. She turned and walked away, looking defeated. He instantly felt guilty for what he had said. But it was true. He couldn't have the girl thinking that this whole stupid idea of going to this town was her fault. He took a deep breath before he turned his head to look at her.

"Why do I keep doing this, Daryl?" She asked as her eyes filled with tears.

He pulled her into his side and mussed her hair. "It ain't just you, kid." He muttered as he looked down at the top of her head. "I do this to her all the time."

"I don't want to hurt my mom. But I don't want to be like her either. I can't be quiet when something needs to be said and I can't let myself be put in a position where I can be hurt. And no matter how hard I try to talk to her it's like she doesn't understand where I'm coming from at all."

"I don't think that's true. I just think she's havin' a hard time dealin' with it. You ain't like you was at the quarry. All of a sudden, it was like a switch, you turned into somebody else."

She shook her head. "This is who I've always been. But before I was too scared to show it. Now I'm always too pissed off not to show it. Does that make sense?" She pulled her legs up onto the bench and threw one arm over him.

He was silent for a little while. What she said made perfect sense. More than she would ever know. He knew what it was like to be afraid. To live under the constant threat of violence. When someone had to live that way long enough, once they were free of the fear there was an empty feeling. He knew he had felt it after Merle freed him from their dad. There had been a strange void where all that fear had been and his own void had quickly filled up with anger. She was going through the exact same thing he had went through. He didn't want her to be like him. Not in that aspect but then he had to wonder how much of that anger made him who he was. "You're turnin' into me." He muttered, not even meaning to say it out loud.

"That isn't a bad thing, Daryl. It's a lot better than turning into Merle." her arm tightened around him.

He had to smile at that. He had to figure that he was only the _second_ worst role model for the girl. "I guess that's true." He sighed.

"He called you my dad." She said hesitantly. "And you didn't tell him you wasn't."

He felt his face flush a little. "Do ya want me to tell'em I ain't?" He asked. It hadn't bothered him in the least. He'd have been more than proud to be the kids dad. He figured if he had ever had kids then they'd have been a lot like her. But he hadn't stopped to think about how she might have felt about it.

"You've been there for me more in the last month than Ed was my whole life. Even when you are being a jerk and not really talking to me. You keep me safe. You care. As far as I'm concerned that's exactly what you are. Anybody can have kids but I never had a dad until I had you."

He didn't know how to respond. He hadn't expected all of that. Not at all and it weighed heavily on his chest, but not in a bad way. His throat felt thick too which was another reason he couldn't say anything.

"Is that okay?" She finally asked as the silence went on for a while longer.

He realized then that she was just as insecure as he was. Just as afraid of rejection. "That's fine by me." He finally mumbled. "I feel about the same."

"You do?" She asked as she finally raised her head.

He wasn't looking at her. He was staring at a tree that was a few yards away. When his eyes finally flicked down to her she was studying him intently. The corner of his mouth turned up. "I do."

~H~

Carol leaned against the counter and watched Sophia and Daryl for a long time. She didn't feel like she was spying or invading their privacy. She only felt left out. Like they were their own small family and she kept finding herself set apart from it. She knew it was stupid to feel that way. They both loved her. But it felt like, most of the time, when she went against one then she was instantly going against them both and she hated feeling like that.

She sighed. She didn't feel like she was in the wrong. Sophia was getting out of control. When she wasn't sinking into her own shell she was this intense little creature intent on showing the world that she was strong. She smiled. She was just like Daryl. How in the hell had that happened?

Finally he stood up and pulled Sophia along with him by the hand. When they came in they both saw her standing their and they both averted their gazes.

"I'm not going to bite." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest. This earned her a small smile from her daughter and a knowing smirk from Daryl. She absently brought her hand up and touched the angry bite mark he had left there.

"I'll go apologize to the freak if you really want, mom." Sophia said with a grin.

Carol's eyebrows shot up and she looked from one face to the other. She almost wanted to laugh but she didn't. "When did you decide to do this?" She asked instead.

"When I realized that the two of us managed to hurt your feelings. So we owe you one." Sophia said hurriedly. "So I'll tell him I'm sorry for you. But I wont lie to you and say that I mean it. Because I wont mean it at all."

Carol crossed her arms over her chest and studied them. They both looked hopeful. Like that might be enough to smooth things over. She felt ridiculous for feeling the way she had while she watched them on the bench. Here they were, trying to make things better, in their own callous way. She shook her head. "I don't want you to do it if you don't want too. And I'll try, Sophia. As hard as I can, I'll try to accept the fact that I am, by some miracle, trying to raise Daryl Dixon's child. God help us all." She muttered. "And I'm gonna try to understand why you do some of the things you do, even when it doesn't make any sense to me. You're my daughter. I love you whether I understand you or not." She sent Daryl a pointed look. "You have to do your part too."

He nodded.

"And we have to stop keeping things from one another. Meaning, you two have to stop with the lies. Because I respect you both enough to not lie to you."

"But if you knew everything you would freak out." Sophia said with a frown. "And that is the truth."

Daryl glanced up and started chewing his nail again while Sophia fiddled with the charm on her necklace.

She came around the corner and stilled Sophia's hand with her own as she peered at the small charm. She smiled. This was about the sweetest thing she had ever seen. She glanced up at Daryl. "When did you get her this?"

He frowned and lifted the charm up with one finger. "I didn't. Thought it was somethin' she'd had."

Carol shook her head.

Sophia sighed loudly. "Carl got it for me yesterday."

Carol smiled. "That's real nice."

Daryl growled but didn't say anything.

~H~

"So we're leavin' today?" Merle asked, a not of defeat in his tone.

Rick nodded but it was Philip who spoke. "That would be the smartest thing to do. We can have you all settled in your rooms before curfew."

Merle tensed. "The fuck you talkin' about? I ain't some ten year old kid, I ain't followin' no fuckin' curfew!"

"Merle just ca..."

"Oh shut the fuck up, Rick. Anybody ever tell you that you need to jump down off your high horse. You ain't nobodies goddamn keeper and I ain't gonna have some big shot _Governor_ tell me when it's my bed time. Bad enough I've had to put up with your shit this whole fuckin' time."

"It's just a precaution. Most of the families that's there abide by it. It's just safer that way in case there is a breach." Philip said with a placating smile.

"So, you tell us to jump and we ask you how high, huh?" Duane asked sarcastically. "Mister, I think you done ran across the wrong group for that. We ain't been holed up behind walls. We been out there survivin'. Every day. I be damned if you're gonna tell us what to do. I'd rather take my chances out there than have you actin' as law for me. I answer to that man." He pointed towards Merle. "Not you."

Merle chuckled. "That's my boy!" He said in a booming voice.

Rick just shook his head. Lori looked like she was going to be sick. Daryl, Sophia and Carol made their way in from the dining room. Daryl looked at Rick. "The fucks goin' on?"

Rick sent a glare in Merle's direction but before he could say anything Philip spoke up. "Just a little misunderstanding with the big guy, is all." He smiled.

"You mean my brother?" Daryl growled.

"Yeah, little brother. The Governor here thinks we're gonna live under some strict rules and shit. We'll have ourselves a little curfew and everything."

"You don't tell me and mine what the fuck to do. That shit needs to be made real clear right now. You might be some big shot where you're from, you ain't shit to us."

"Damn it, Daryl." Rick stepped closer. "That's enough."

Philip stood up then, the two men flanking him did the same. "Look, I understand what you two are saying. The truth is, I need men like you. I need people like you just as much as you people need a secure place. It can be a win win." He cleared his throat. "I'm not sure what I've done to cause all this distrust but I assure you, you're group will be safe there. These children seem like they need a bit of stability. It's sad to see such harshness in a child." His eyes raked over, Sophia, Carl and Duane, who were now all gathered around Merle.

"And what do you mean by that?" Sophia snapped. "We need to hide behind walls and pretend like everything is normal? We're kids. We aren't idiots. Remember that gun I pulled on you earlier? That was me being stable mister. That was me in a _good_ mood."

"Jesus, girl." Daryl muttered as he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her towards him.

Carol made an exasperated sound.

Merle glanced down at her. That kid was made of nothing but spit and fire. He felt his chest swell with pride. He couldn't control the grin that spread across his face.

When he looked back over at the three men they were all looking down at her in shock. Philip, after a few moments, simply smiled once more. "Well, I rest my case."

"You arrogant son of a..." Sophia nearly shouted but Daryl had a hand clamped down over her mouth from behind before she could finish what she was about to say.

"Carl!" Daryl growled, "Get her outta here for five minutes, would ya?" Daryl let go of her mouth as soon as Carl grabbed a hold of her hand. She glared at them all and then let Carl lead her down the hall. Duane followed.

"Look," Rick began, holding up a placating hand, "This is getting out of hand. My wife is pregnant and I think this town of yours is the best place for our group. But I have to say, we've been through a lot. We've been on the run almost non stop. We've created a community of our own and I can't say that I feel comfortable with being told when I can or can't go outside. You have to understand where I'm coming from."

Merle had to admit that he was relieved. At least Rick wasn't bowing down to the man. Which surprised him. Then he had to open his mouth and ruin it for him.

"But I agree. Our kids are growing cold. That has to stop. We can talk about it more once we get there. Right now I just want you to know where we stand. If you need us then we need to be an exception to all your laws."

Philip gave him that creepy smile once more that everyone else probably considered charming. "That sounds fine." He shrugged. "Besides, you men will most likely be the ones enforcing those laws. You look like you have a lot of experience in _that_ department."

Rick just stared at him for a minute and then nodded.

Merle wanted to curse out loud. That sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach intensified once Rick and the man shook hands. He'd given Rick specific directions on how to get to the town. Maybe there was a chance they would still be able to talk the others out of this. Maggie slid her arm around his waist but it did nothing to relieve the tension he was feeling.

~H~

"You alright?" Duane asked an enraged Sophia.

She couldn't keep herself calm. What the hell was wrong with her? She had just smoothed things over with her mom and then she had to go and open her big stupid mouth again. She didn't know why they all compared her to Daryl. It was pretty obvious that she was worse off than he was. He at least had _some_ self control. She had none. Absolutely none.

She shot them both a look. "Did you guys at least get the guns ready?" She asked.

They both nodded and she instantly felt a little better. "Sophia," Carl began hesitantly, "We're all gonna be okay. We have Daryl and Merle on our side."

She wanted to believe him but the truth was, she was scared. She was more afraid of this man than she was of living on the road. She couldn't believe that everyone was just falling for his crap. "Yeah, but around here majority rules. You know that. And a Dixon's opinion has about as much pull as ours.

"You're really gonna have to calm yourself down, Sophia." Duane muttered as he sat down next to her.

She frowned. "Me? I think I heard you giving him a little hell yourself, Duane."

"_That was me in a _good _mood._" He mimicked her voice and then him and Carl busted out laughing.

Sophia couldn't help but to join in but she did manage to shove Duane over. "You are such a jerk." She grinned.

"We need to think about this, guys. Seriously." Carl said as he got over his laughing spell. "Sophia, you have to calm down. I know that you hate the guy. I don't trust him either but what if he is this big bad man? All you two are doing is putting targets on your backs. And mine, just for hanging out with you."

She bit the side of her jaw and studied him for a few seconds. She knew he was right. She didn't want him to be right but he was. She had to swallow down all the anger the man sparked in her and smooth this over. With a heavy sigh she nodded. "You're right."

Both boys stared at her, bug eyed. "What did you just say?" Duane asked with mock surprise. "Did you, Sophia, just declare Carl..." He gasped, "To be _right_ about something?"

"Sophia," Carl put his hand to his chest. "I am honored. I really am."

"Oh my God, why do I hang out with you two morons?" She groaned as they laughed at her some more.

"Because you love us." Duane said with a grin, "And your options are pretty slim."

Carl cleared his throat. "So, which one of you is gonna go out there and apologize first?"

"Sophia." Duane grumbled. "She's the one that pulled a gun on him."

Carl smirked at him as he walked to the door. "I think you should have to do it, Duane."

Sophia was surprised that Carl would say that. After all, she _was_ the one that had pulled the gun on the man.

"Why the hell should I do it?" Duane asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and eyed the other boy.

Carl just shrugged and then glanced back at her before his eyes met Duane's again. "I guess I'm gonna take her side this time."

"Why the hell is that?"

"Cause she's way prettier than you." He grinned and then dashed out the door.

Duane and Sophia sat there for a few awkward seconds and then looked at each other. Duane was grinning but Sophia could tell her face was red.

"I can't believe he just said that!" She hissed.

Duane leaned back on his elbows. "I can. He says stuff like that all the time. He has been since the farm."

Sophia knew her mouth was hanging open but she couldn't close it right away. This was the last thing she needed! Carl was her best friend. He couldn't be thinking things like that.

After a while Duane sighed. "I guess we have some apologizing to do, cousin."

She couldn't help but laugh. He was always saying things like that. "I guess we do. And don't worry. I'll go first."

"Then make it good so I wont have to feel obligated to do it myself."

They were almost too late. When they reached the living room most of their group had dispersed, leaving Daryl, Merle, Maggie, Rick, Carl and her mom. The men were already saying their goodbyes in the doorway.

"Excuse me." Sophia said before they turned to leave.

The man raised his hands defensively and smirked. "You aren't going to shoot me, are you?"

Sophia bit her tongue. Literally. "No sir. I came to apologize. I acted horrible. It's just that..." She wasn't sure what else to say.

"Hormones." Carl said helpfully. "You know, puberty and stuff."

She turned her head slowly. She was going to kill him. She was going to kill him until he was dead and then she would give him CPR and then kill him again. When he saw the look on her face he stopped smiling and swallowed hard.

She looked back towards the man. "Anyway, I just wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings. It's been a horrible couple of weeks and I haven't been myself."

Philips face softened. "No worries. I think we'll get along just fine." He winked and she cringed on the inside. He looked up at everyone else who was watching in shock, "We'll see you all shortly. Watch yourselves out there."

When she turned around they were all looking at her. Duane and Carl were both grinning and Carl, in a great show of bravery, came right up to her and patted her on the back.

"You did great." He grinned.

She shoved him so hard he landed on his back.

"Hormones?" She shrieked. "Puberty? Are you insane?"

The room erupted in laughter as she glared down at him, hands on her hips.

"I couldn't think of any other excuse." He said quickly. "Sorry, I was just tryin' to help."

She growled and then stormed off to get the rest of her stuff together. If she stayed in that room for one more second, listening to everyone laughing, she would have killed him for real and then her mom would definitely have a fit.


	79. Chapter 79

**There is friction in the future folks but thankfully it may be what our little group needs to finally stop fighting one another and focus on the real problem. DunDunDun... Anyway, this isn't the most exciting chapter, more a filler, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Thank you for reading and thank you for the reviews! I think I have the coolest group of readers in all of ff! You are loved and appreciated! Even the ones that are reading but not reviewing! Thanks! Now, as always, I hope you all have a fantastic day =)**

Chapter Seventy Nine

Carol couldn't keep her eyes off Sophia as they loaded up in the vehicles. It hadn't taken long for her and Carl to make up but that wasn't what she was worried about. She saw the girl apologize with her own eyes and for just a few moments it felt like she was looking at the sweet quiet girl that used to be her daughter. But as soon as she came outside, giving Duane and Carl a conspiratorial wink she knew something was up. And she had no doubts that Daryl and Merle were involved.

He was in front of her on the bike, waiting on the others to get everything situated, her arms around his waist.

"Daryl?" She asked, only a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"What?" He turned his head and glanced back at her.

"You and the kids aren't planning on shooting up that town once we get there, are you?" She asked and had to shake her head. How bad did things have to be for her to have to ask him something like that in all seriousness.

"No." He scoffed.

Rick was coming towards them, Lori and Carl in tow. He wore a look of concern and she could hear Daryl growl low in his throat.

"What's the problem now?" Daryl asked when they stopped next to the bike.

"I think we're missing guns." Rick said worriedly.

Carol wasn't paying much attention to Rick. She had her eyes on Carl who was watching Daryl expectantly.

Daryl shrugged. The corner of Carl's mouth tilted up.

"You don't think this is a big deal?" Rick asked.

"We never got around to taking inventory Rick. Maybe we left with less than we thought." Daryl suggested.

Rick ran a hand through his hair. "Five rifles and six handguns, plus ammo for both are missing. We didn't have to take inventory. I know exactly what we had."

"You tryin' to say somethin' here Rick?" Daryl growled and she tightened her grip around his waist. She could see Merle approaching with Maggie, Sophia and Duane.

"He isn't trying to say anything, Daryl. He just wants to know what's going on." Lori said quietly.

"And I'm the one he comes to ask. Well, go ask somebody else, Rick. I don't know where the fuck they went. Maybe your new friends took'em." He bit out angrily.

"What's the hold up?" Merle bellowed as he came closer.

Carol still kept her eyes on the kids. Something was definitely up. And it most definitely did involve the Dixon's and their minions.

"Rick here thinks I might have stole our own guns. You know, cause that's somethin' I'm in the habit of doin'."

Rick narrowed his eyes. "That isn't what I'm saying. And you know as well as I do that those guns were in the other apartment. The one Lori and I used. Those men didn't have a way to get in there."

Merle scratched his chin and smiled lazily. "You lost our fuckin' guns? Ain't you suppose to be stayin' on top of shit like this, Rick?"

Carol watch Sophia as she listened to the men. The girl's eyes never wavered as she watched the men bicker over the guns. Duane and Carl on the other hand couldn't stop glancing towards one another and then back to the men. Carl was actually wearing a guilty expression. Carol had an idea about who could have taken the guns. But why so many?

Rick finally gave up. Merle wordlessly handed his jacket over to her and then gave Daryl a nod before walking away. Sophia and Duane waved and then followed him.

"Daryl." She growled.

He chuckled, gave her thigh a squeeze and then they were flying down the road.

~H~

Merle was right behind his brother, Rick right behind him.

"You know where those guns are, dont'cha?" Maggie asked as they turned onto the highway.

Merle glanced at her. Sophia and Duane were between them. "Yep."

"How'd you get'em?" She asked.

"I thought we were gonna keep this to ourselves." Duane grumbled as he shifted nervously.

"She ain't gonna say nothin', boy." Merle said as he nudged him with his elbow. "She don't like this anymore than we do."

"You made the kids steal'em?" Maggie guessed.

"It isn't stealing." Sophia said with a small smile. "Those guns are just as much ours as they are Rick's or anyone else in this group."

"That's right." Merle confirmed. "And if Rick is too goddamn stupid to take some precautions then it's up to the only ones in this group with any common fuckin' sense."

"Like you Dixon's and three kids." Maggie looked out the window to hide her smile but he caught it before her head was turned all the way.

"That's right, darlin'. We don't know what them sons of bitches have planned for us. It could be legit. If it is then that's just fine. If it ain't then we got a plan. Ain't nothin' wrong with havin' a plan."

"And the plan is?" Maggie asked, looking at him again, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"The plan is, we have some truck trouble here in about two miles. Gonna have to ditch the truck." He glanced up in the mirror. "Me and Duane leave once it gets dark, gather up our stolen guns, sneak back in and stash'em."

"Why leave'em to begin with? Why not bring the truck all the way there?" She asked.

"We don't know if they'll check for weapons." He shrugged. "And this very well could all be for nothin'. But if the shit hits the fan I'd rather have a back up plan."

"You think somethin' might happen from the start?" Her voice was low, causing him to glance at her again. There was worry etching her features.

"Don't matter." Sophia chimed in before he could say anything. "People, even most crazy ones, would have a hard time gunning down kids. If something happens from the beginning then the three of us make a break for it. We go to the truck ourselves. We get the guns."

Maggie put her arm around Sophia's shoulder and looked down. "Then what?"

"Well, according to Merle here, we bring down the fury of hell on the mother fuckers." She smiled.

"Jesus, Merle. What the hell have you and your brother done to them?" Maggie breathed.

"Hey, don't you look at me. This whole thing was her idea." He did look a little sheepish. "Well, except for that fury of hell part, I guess that was all me."

Maggie shook her head. "So, what if someone finds the guns in the truck? Then that kills your plan."

Duane smiled at her. "They ain't in the truck. They're under it. Me and Carl tied them up earlier. It wont matter if they do something crazy and maybe gun us all down or something but if something bad happens and we can get away then at least we have a chance. We wont be out here unarmed."

"I guess that's smart." Maggie muttered. "I just wish it wasn't something we needed to think about. I don't understand how everyone else is just gonna trust these people."

"They're desperate." Sophia said simply. "Lori's pregnant, we've all nearly starved out there, we've all had close calls with Walkers. Not to mention that everyone thinks Duane, Carl and I have turned into the antichrist triplets." She rolled her eyes.

Merle had to laugh at that. Not because it was funny that everyone was worried about them, he didn't care about that part, let the fuckers worry. He laughed because it was the damn truth. Everyone had started watching the kids like they were ticking time bombs. Lori was constantly trying to coddle Carl who was finally becoming bearable. Hell, even Daryl watched Sophia like a hawk, waiting for her to snap. Duane was the only one that didn't have too much to worry about.

Merle was proud of the boy. He was good with a gun, good with a knife, learned to fight real quick. But he was also pretty even tempered and ready to listen to anything Merle had to tell him. He liked the boy. Never in a million years would he have ever guessed that he would say something like that. But it was true. He'd kill somebody over the kid.

"We ain't bad." Duane said after a while. "We're just smart. That's how people are gonna survive in this world. Not by being kids, but by knowing _how_ to survive."

Merle nudged him again. "That's right."

~H~

Daryl pulled the bike over. Merle had pulled the truck over onto the side of the road and was just now walking around the side of the truck, opening the hood. He reached in as Daryl approached him, Rick was coming too.

"Turn it over, boy!" Merle called to Duane who had moved over to the drivers seat.

Daryl wasn't sure what Merle had done but the truck sputtered a bit and then nothing. Maggie and Sophia got out on the passenger side.

"Looks like we're gonna have to ride in with someone else." Maggie muttered as she slid her arms around Merle's waist.

Merle gave Daryl a slight nod.

"We only have about half a mile to go." Rick said as he approached. "It shouldn't be a problem. We can come out in the morning and see about the truck."

Merle nodded. "Duane and Sophia can ride in with you. Me and Maggie can go with Hershel and Beth."

Rick just nodded and walked away with Sophia and Duane.

"You sure you're okay with her riding in with Rick? I thought you wanted her to stay close to you or Merle?" Carol asked.

Merle turned and answered her before Daryl could say anything. "Hell, anything happens and you can bet that sweet ass of yours that Sophia and Duane have that shit handled before Rick can even draw that Python of his. We ain't gotta worry bout them kids anymore, Carol. They're just fine."

"He's right, Carol. Hell, even I feel safer with them around." Maggie gave her a smile and pulled Merle towards Hershel's truck.

"Was that suppose to make me feel better?" Carol asked as she climbed back on behind him.

"I think so." He turned his head and caught her lips with his own. When he pulled away he gave her a crooked smile. "Me havin' faith in them kids is the only fuckin' reason I'm gonna step foot in that place." And it was true. He felt a lot better knowing that, even if something happened, they could get out and get to the guns. And if nothing happened then they would get the guns tonight and bring them closer to town. Making it easier to defend themselves if something did eventually go wrong. And if that asshole thought for a second that he could start enforcing his laws on them then things would go south pretty quick. The kids already knew what they were suppose to do if something like that happened.

The closer they got the more nervous he got about what they were doing. When they rounded a bend and he saw the wall that the man had described, with seven armed men patrolling the top of it. He stopped the bike. He couldn't do it. There was no way he could do this.

"Jesus." Carol breathed as he turned off the bike.

"Now you know why the fuck I didn't wanna do this." He snapped. He was feeling panic seeping in. The men on the wall watched them.

He didn't move to get off the bike and he noticed that Carol's grip around him had tightened. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand clap him on the shoulder and squeeze. He looked up and saw his brother, the same fear etched on Merle's face that he knew was written all over his. And that just made it worse. Merle wasn't afraid of anything. But then he realized that he had never been afraid of anything either. Not until he had something to lose.

"We'll be alright, little brother." Merle mumbled but he kept his hand clamped down on Daryl's shoulder while his other arm was wrapped around Maggie.

Rick made his way to his other side. He couldn't even look at the man. If he did then he would be off the bike and beating his stupid fucking face into the pavement. Rick was the one that wanted this. Daryl wasn't sure what he had been expecting but it wasn't this. Not armed men on a fucking wall, waiting for them to make a move.

"It's secure." Rick offered.

Daryl barely thought of what he was doing. He wretched himself away from Merle's hand and was off the bike and in Ricks face faster than anyone else could move. They were chest to chest and he took a few more steps, backing Rick up with his body. "Secure? You stupid fuck! They could gun us all down right now if they wanted."

Rick put him hands up and pushed Daryl back but it did him no good. Daryl was right back in his face. "If somethin' happens to any of them. Carol, Sophia, my fuckin' _brother_, I'll kill you before them fucks even have a chance. You understand me?"

He felt a set of strong arms rip him away from Rick and suddenly T-dog was right there. "Come on, Dixon. We don't need this right now, man." He said as he eyed him warily. "Let's just figure out what's goin' on. If he's led us here to die," He glanced behind him towards Rick and then his eyes met Daryl's once more, "I'll help you."

Daryl glared at the man but T didn't back away. Finally, with a defeated shake of his head Daryl turned and stormed towards the wall. Merle was at his side, Carol and Maggie were behind them. He knew where the kids would be.

He led the group closer to what very well could have been their doom. The men jumped down from the wall and then it slowly opened inward. Philip was there, smile in place. One of the men they had met earlier was standing with him, gun in hand, smirk in place. Daryl decided that he really didn't like this guy at all.

Philip nodded. "Glad you all worked everything out and decided to join us." He turned as though he expected them to follow.

Daryl and Merle didn't move but the group made their way past them like a parting sea. Dale clapped him on the shoulder as he walked by and T-dog nudged him.

He felt Carol's hand on his back and finally he moved. Him and Merle stepped through, the kids finally falling in behind them. He stopped and his mouth nearly dropped.

"Welcome to Woodbury." Philip smiled as he gestured to the town in front of them.

There were people milling around on the street. Kids on bikes. Woman pushing strollers. People sitting out on benches or stopping to chat on the sidewalk.

Everyone just stood there, their eyes wide. He felt Carol's hand in his. For a few seconds he felt relieved. Maybe Rick had been right to come here. Then that relief was shattered.

"You guys need to hand over all your weapons. None are allowed on the street unless it's been cleared by the Governor." The man next to Phillip said suddenly.

"Fuck you." Daryl snarled.

"Martinez." Philip glared at the other man. "This is a special case. They don't have to hand over their weapons. Not until they feel like they have nothing to worry about here."

"Not even then, asshole." Daryl snapped.

Martinez was almost on him and Daryl was ready to knock the other mans head off when Carl and Duane were suddenly in front of him, guns drawn.

"I'd back up if I were you." Duane said calmly. "Ain't none of my people getting' hurt. Not unless you wanna get hurt yourself."

"Martinez!" Philip barked.

The man backed up, glaring at the boys. Lori was on Carl then, yanking the boy back by his shirt. She was furious. He was stumbling backward.

Philip put his hands up defensively. "I made it a point to let everyone in this town know that they couldn't all just openly walk around carrying weapons. It tends to make folks nervous. As skittish as you all are I decided that until you feel like you can trust us here, you can keep your weapons. But I have to say those kids are too quick on the draw. So maybe it would be a good idea if you all hung on to theirs for now."

Daryl glanced over and saw that Rick was already taking Carl's weapon. He shook his head. What a dumb ass.

Merle didn't make a move towards Duane, who still had his gun aimed at Martinez.

"Duane?"

Daryl looked up. Oh shit.

Duane looked up at the same time. There was a black man walking towards them, he was blinking furiously and shaking his head back and forth like he was trying to shake off an illusion.

"Dad?" Duane breathed.

"Oh my God." Rick muttered behind them. "Morgan?"

The man was running now. Running right towards the stunned boy that hadn't lowered the gun yet. When Morgan got within a few feet he stopped and dropped to his knees, tears staining his face.

Daryl glanced at Merle. He was openly gaping, his large hand on the boys shoulder. Then he shut his mouth stubbornly and gave him a gentle push. Duane closed the distance quickly, the gun dropping from his hands. Merle bent down and picked it up, tucking it into the back of his pants.

Philip was watching with wide eyes, as was Martinez.

Daryl couldn't help but feel bad for Merle. The boy had grown on him over the last few weeks and he seemed to enjoy being the one to look after him. This changed things. If they decided they didn't want to stay on here Merle would have to leave the boy. Daryl knew he would. Merle didn't grow attached to things easily. Sophia and Maggie were an extreme exception, but as long as he knew the boy was with his dad then Merle would leave him.

"This is him?" Martinez said, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "But you said you thought your boy was dead."

Rick stepped up then, angling himself so he was knelt down next to Morgan. "Merle found your boy and brought him to me. He's been with us about a month now."

Sophia moved so she was at Daryl's side as she watched Duane and Morgan. He couldn't help but wonder how much this would change their relationship. Duane was a part of their group. A constant companion to Sophia and Carl.

"What about her?" Philip asked, breaking through Daryl's thoughts.

Daryl's head shot up. "What are ya talkin' about? What about her?"

"Well, considering out of everyone she is the one that threatened to kill me, twice now, I think it might be best to take her gun. For now, of course."

Daryl saw red then and he was just about to lunge at the man when he felt something cold and familiar touch his hand. Sophia was looking up at him, handing over the gun he had given her.

"It's fine. Take it for now if that's what we need to do. No need in making this worse than it has to be, okay." There was a pleading look in her eyes and she looked back towards Duane who was quietly talking to his dad.

Daryl took the gun and shoved it into his waistband. He was glaring but he understood. They didn't need this right now. It had already started off badly and there was no sense in making things worse. Yet.

"You've got yourself a smart girl there." Philip smiled. "She must get her temper from you and her wits from her momma."

"Fu..."

"Dad!" Sophia hissed.

He glanced down quickly, shocked into silence by that one word that she uttered. She winked and then her eyes flicked over towards Philip. He remembered their conversation earlier and nodded. He did look back up and glared at the men. He could at least do that, even if he couldn't shoot them in the face, which was what he wanted to do at the moment.

Temper his ass.


	80. Chapter 80

**This is going to be the last chapter for a few days! I have a lot of catching up to do! I've tried to do right by you all and give you what I know you like. Most of you seem to be a fan of the smut ;) Some of you are really into the humor XD So I figured I would combine the two and give you a little of both for this one. Not every sexual encounter is going to be all heat and fireworks. Sometimes it just doesn't work out that way! Most of us already know that. Haha, so I fit it into this chapter, just for you realists out there ;) Thank you, every one of you, for reviewing! And to Green Owl, nice lookin' out, my friend ;) Hope everyone has a great weekend and stay safe! **

Chapter Eighty

After the excitement of finding Morgan finally quieted they were taken to their rooms. Merle wasn't really impressed. He felt dejected and wasn't even sure why. Or he didn't want to admit that he knew why, anyway. He was glad the boy had found his dad. That was a good thing. He'd miss him though. Who the fuck would have ever thought _that_. That he, Merle fucking Dixon, would find it in himself to take in some stray. And a black kid at that. But that shit didn't matter anymore. It was the one thing that Rick had said that day on the roof that had stuck a bit. Didn't matter what color they were, they were all food for Walkers and that's what mattered now.

"You okay?" Maggie asked as he stared out the window onto the street below.

"This place is just fucked up." He grumbled. "Look at it. It ain't normal."

He heard her quiet laugh and then felt her hands slide around his waist. "This is the most normal place I've seen since we left the farm." She said into his back. "On the surface, anyhow."

He shook his head. "You miss the part where the world turned itself upside down, girl? This shit ain't what normal looks like now days. This is fuckin' creepy."

"Well, we didn't get gunned down. They didn't take our weapons. That's somethin', ain't it? We even have electricity, hot showers. Maybe it wont be so bad."

"Distractions, darlin'. I don't trust that smiley mother fucker, or that twitchy eyed asshole that's always with him either. Every fuckin' time my brother turns his head that guys eyeballin' Carol."

"Carol's really pretty." Maggie shrugged.

"And she's Daryl's woman. It ain't no fuckin' secret. Hell, they think he's her husband." He growled.

"You Dixon's are a possessive pair, you know that?"

He grunted but then covered her hands with his own when they locked over his stomach.

"You're grouchy cause you miss Duane?" She asked.

He snorted. "Fuck no. Kid was always hoverin' around. He got on my nerves."

She slipped around him until she was blocking his view of the street below. It was harder for him to keep his bad mood in place when she was looking at him like that. "I hover. I'm with you all the time. Do I get on your nerves?" Her eyebrows shot up.

He frowned. "All the time."

She laughed and then shoved him, even though she couldn't get him to budge. "You're just mean, Merle Dixon. There ain't a soft spot to be found." She hid a smile.

He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "Not lately, darlin'.

She laughed and was about to kiss him when someone knocked on the door.

"Mother fuck." He grumbled as he stormed over and opened the door with a glare. It was the last person he wanted to see.

Philip was standing there with that infuriatingly charming smile on his face.

"Yeah," Merle bit out, eyes narrowing.

"You two getting settled in alright?" He asked as he looked past Merle and eyed Maggie.

"Yep." Merle growled.

Philip nodded and met his eyes once more. "There's a building across the street. It serves as a Town Hall of sorts. I was wondering if you and the rest of the men in your group could meet me there in about an hour."

Merle eyed him. "Men, huh? You got a problem with our women?"

Philip glanced towards Maggie again and Merle had to grind his teeth together to keep from saying anything to him about it.

"Not at all. I just thought maybe it would be best to discuss some things with the key players in the group for now. Meaning you, your brother, Rick. Some of the others."

Merle studied the mans face for a few long uncomfortable seconds and then finally nodded. "Fine."

Philip nodded and then turned to walk away before stopping once more. "I almost forgot. I have a few of my men working on something for you. It will probably be ready by the time I see you again. I think you'll approve."

Merle, although curious, just grunted and shut the door.

He turned and glanced at Maggie. She looked pissed.

"What the hell was that about? Only needin' to see the men? That man isn't just a creep, he's a sexist asshole." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared.

He shrugged. "I don't want them fuckers around you anyway."

Her eyes narrowed further. "Why?"

"Cause I don't trust'em." He grumbled as he sat down heavily on the bed.

She put her hands on his shoulders and put her forehead against his. "You trust me?" She asked as she sank down onto his lap.

"I never really thought about it." He said as honestly as he could. He didn't trust anybody but his brother as a general rule but things weren't like they used to be. "I ain't in the habit of puttin' a lot a trust in other folks. Not much sense in settin' yourself up for the let down if ya know what I mean."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and frowned. "No. I don't know what'cha mean."

"I don't suppose you would." He said.

This caused her frown to deepen. "Ya think I'm gonna do somethin' to let ya down?"

He shook his head. Why the fuck did women set men up for shit like this? He always said that he wouldn't never let a bitch bait him into some dumb shit fight. He saw it happen in shows all the time. He never thought he would have to worry about it and now here he was, getting set up for a fight with her. "That ain't what I said." He growled.

"Yes it is." She said in a low voice.

"Yeah, Maggie. I trust that you ain't gonna go around Woodbury fuckin' every man that looks at ya. Are ya happy now?"

She glared at him but then she grinned. This girl was crazy.

"Yeah, I'm happy now." She winked. "That is about all I expected outta you anyway."

"What the hell does that mean?" He asked as she pressed herself closer, making him forget that he was vaguely offended.

She didn't answer him but her mouth was on his in an instant, hot and needy as she shoved him down onto his back. He had been putting a lot of thought into how to handle her now that the hard part was over. Another huge change for him. He never really gave a shit about pleasing a woman before. As long as he was satisfied then that was the important part. Philip said an hour. He needed longer than an hour.

He rolled over, pinning her under him. "Not right now." He growled but his mouth was skimming across her collar bone, causing her to wrap her legs around him to keep him in place.

"Why not?" She panted as his tongue dipped into the hollow at the base of her throat.

"Ain't got time." He rasped but he ground himself against her anyway causing himself to groan and her to whimper. Yeah, he could definitely get used to this.

"We got time." She insisted as she pulled his face towards hers once more.

"Not enough time," He panted as he drew his head back and looked at her. How the fuck had he gotten so fucking lucky?

She huffed out a frustrated breath. "Fine. I gotta take a shower. A cold one, thank you very much, Merle. And when you get back you ain't leavin' again till mornin'." She shoved at his chest until he rolled off of her. "And you wont be able to leave then either cause by then you'll be too exhausted to move." She stood up and angrily pulled clean clothes out of her bag as he watched from the bed.

"That's some kinda punishment, girl." He winked as she huffed past him.

~H~

Daryl's back hit the tile floor hard, nearly knocking the wind out of him. The back of his head hit too but it was his back that took the brunt of the fall. He grunted slightly at the pain but was soon once again swept away by sensations much more intense than the bumps he had taken.

Carol landed on top of him, water dripping into his eyes from her hair. He was about to ask her if she was okay but as soon as he opened his mouth he felt her hot tongue trace his bottom lip and then he forgot what he was suppose to have asked her in the first place.

They had started out in the shower. Everything was fine until he slipped on something and fell backwards, bringing her with him. The shower curtain ripped and was now under him. Lucky for him it was a stand up shower, no tub. The fall could have been a lot worse. His head was starting to sting a little more though.

He tried to readjust himself under her since is legs were still in the shower but she chose that moment to raise her head up and look at him. Suddenly all the lust left her eyes.

"Oh my God. You're bleeding." She gasped as she tried to move off of him.

"No I ain't." He argued huskily and then grabbed her hips, keeping her in place.

"Daryl, your head. There's blood. We have to stop." She groaned and then her mouth came crashing down on his when he roughly moved her hips back and forth on him.

He didn't care if he'd been shot, she wasn't going anywhere just yet. She jerked her mouth away.

"You could really be hurt, I have to get off..."

"I'm workin' on it, woman. Shut. Up." He growled.

"Daryl, you're head..."

With another throaty growl he rolled her over so she was under him and crushed her mouth with his once more to stifle her objections. When he felt her wet arms wrap around his neck he slid his lips down to her throat, tasting water and skin as he went. Until he reached the top of one breast. "Augh!" He turned his head quickly and spit. "Fuckin' soap." He growled. He had gotten himself a whole mouth full.

She almost laughed until he once again found his rhythm. It was hard to keep up though since his knees kept slipping on the stupid plastic shower curtain and when he tried to readjust he realized that when he had rolled her under him he had rolled them both up in it. Now he was stuck.

This was turning into a mess. But he could tell she was close so he kept going. The closer she got the more he seemed to slip on the plastic and then suddenly there was an obnoxious bang on the bathroom door.

"Get your ass in gear, little brother!" Merle yelled from the other side. "We gotta be across the street in five minutes!"

"Goddamn it, Merle." He growled and almost said to hell with it. This was like a bad joke but when he stopped her arms tightened around his neck, "Don't stop." She pleaded quietly.

He didn't need anymore encouragement, it didn't matter that she had been fighting it, or that his head was really starting to pound or he had the taste of soap coating his tongue, or his brother was just on the other side of the unlocked door. It didn't even matter that his movements were clumsy and awkward the way he was slipping around, he just kept going.

"Daryl, I know you're in there dumb ass, I can hear the fuckin' shower goin'." Merle roared.

He glanced towards the door and then down at her face once more. Her eyes were huge, pupils dilated, biting lightly at her bottom lip.

Suddenly her teeth let go of her lip and her mouth opened slightly and he instantly covered it with his own to keep her from making any noise. Usually he would have been right with her but under the current circumstances it was going to take him longer than it did her.

Or so he thought. He pulled his mouth away from hers as soon as he felt it.

"What the hell, bro!" Merle yelled.

"Jesus Christ, Merle, shut the fuck up for five fucking seconds." Daryl roared and then he dropped his head to her shoulder as he finally let go. It wasn't the best he had felt, especially compared to everything else they had done last night but he still shuddered like a teenager.

Merle was laughing now. "I get it now. You coulda just said somethin'."

Daryl growled into her wet skin. "Sometimes I wanna shoot that man." He grumbled as he tried to get loose from the shower curtain so he could grab his clothes.

"Lets stick to beds from now on. This didn't work out all that great." She laughed.

He almost had himself loose when the bathroom door finally opened. He knew it was coming. Merle was a real mother fucker sometimes and he knew this was going to happen eventually. But the shower curtain was dark blue and pretty thick so the asshole couldn't see anything. Now he was kind of glad that he had wrapped it around them.

"Well, damn it." Merle grinned as he stared down at them. "I missed the whole show." he winked.

Carol had to turn her head away. She looked like she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

"Get your ass out, you perverted idiot." Daryl grumbled.

"Goddamn, little brother. You two are a couple animals. We ain't had these rooms for a night yet and you're already wreckin' yours."

Carol finally faced the grinning man. "Merle, get out." She said firmly.

He sighed and then shut the door.

"Sorry." Daryl grumbled as he finally freed himself and made a grab for their clothes. "He's an ass."

She slipped her shirt over her head and smirked. "He's just Merle. I'm used to him by now."

"I've been around him damn near my whole life, I ain't used to him yet." He mumbled as they made their way out of the bathroom.

Merle was sitting on the loveseat that sat flush against the wall next to the door. He looked up at them and then shook his head. "Animals." He said again with a grin.

~H~

Sophia was rooming with Beth again. She liked Beth but she didn't have a whole lot in common with the older girl. She figured that eventually she would have more to say to her but right now there just wasn't anything to say. She figured Carl would have made his way to her room by now. She was itching to get his take on these new developments. Did this mean Duane wasn't a part of their group anymore?

She was so glad that he had found his dad. She couldn't have possibly been more happy for him. But she still worried that she would lose him. He was just like a brother to her. More than Carl. Carl was something else. He was her best friend. A very confusing best friend. But Duane was different and she already missed him. He hadn't been with them long. A month or a little more but a month in this world counted for years. They had all three been through so much.

A soft knock at the door brought her out of her sullen mood and she rushed to open it just as Beth was walking out of the bathroom, head wrapped in a towel.

She almost squealed when she saw Duane standing there with his dad. She threw her arms around his neck and grinned. "I didn't know when I'd see you again!"

He laughed and patted her back. "I'm in the room across the hall with my dad."

"You're kidding!" She was grinning so wide that her face actually hurt. She finally noticed Morgan smiling down at them. She stuck out her hand. "I'm Sophia." She said politely. Her mom would have been proud.

"Morgan." He said kindly. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Damn, Duane!" She grumbled.

Duane looked up and grinned at his dad. "I told you."

"Have you seen Carl?" She asked suddenly.

He shook his head. As soon as we drew on Martinez Lori flipped her lid. We may not see him again until the two of you are old enough to get married."

Sophia glared at him until he held his hands up. "Sorry." He grinned.

"Do you guys want to come in?" She asked, remembering they were all still standing in the hallway.

"Yeah, my dad has to go to some meeting so I was gonna stay here with you. It was you or deal with an angry Lori. I choose you."

"I'm flattered." She mumbled sarcastically as she dragged him into her room by the hand. "It was nice to meet you, Morgan!" She called before she shut the door.

Once she had the door shut she pulled Duane towards the actual bedroom and shut the door behind her. She turned around excitedly. "So, what's your dad say about this place? How long has he been here? Did they rescue him?" She asked in a rush.

"It's fine so far. Three weeks. Yes." He deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes. "So, it's safe? Like, really safe? Did they disarm him?"

"So far. So far. Yes, until a week ago."

She rolled her eyes. "Would you stop it! _Talk_ to me, Duane."

He sat down in one of two chairs that were facing the window looking down on the street. "He said they found him on the road. By then he was delirious. He'd been trying to find me. He had been beaten up pretty bad by Randal's group and he thinks they thought he was dead when they left him in the woods. He didn't recognize Randal so he must have been telling the truth when he told us that he hadn't seen my dad."

"God, Duane. I'm sorry all that happened to him." She sat in the chair across from him.

He shook his head and smiled at her. "Ain't nothin' now. That stuff don't matter. I got my dad back and I got the group."

"Unless we don't stay. We still don't know if we can trust these guys. We could still have to leave. And you would have to stay." This thought caused her chest to ache.

He shook his head. "My dad said it isn't a bad place. He said they gave him a gun and everything. It's like a real community. He takes a shift at night to watch the wall. We could all really have a life here."

Her eyes traveled towards the darkening window. "I don't know Duane. Nothing is setting right with me, you know? I can't explain it but something is really off about this place."

He shook his head stubbornly. "That's the Dixon talking. You can look around and tell that it's okay."

She gazed at him for a long moment as she chose her next words wisely. "Just this afternoon you thought the same thing. It isn't just what Merle and Daryl say. It's what I _feel._" She met his eyes squarely. "Does this mean your out? Are you still going with Merle to get the guns tonight? You said yourself your dad has night shift."

Duane was frowning. "I owe Merle. Big time. Anything he needs help with then I'll be there to help him. But I trust my dad, Sophia. I _want_ to stay here."

Her head snapped back towards the window as she felt those stupid tears start to fill her eyes. "I _want_ everything to be okay here. But I can't say I want to stay. If we leave then we'll probably never see you again. I just don't think Daryl or Merle will go for this."

"Sophia, it doesn't have to be like that. You think I want to stay here if you guys leave?" He asked in a soft voice that had her looking back at him. He actually winced when he saw the pain on her face.

"But you will." She whispered.

He looked down and then nodded. "I have to stay with my dad."

She nodded. She understood. She would do the same thing. She couldn't even find that switch to make this sadness turn into anger. She couldn't be mad at Duane.

He stood up and then pulled her up by the hand. He hugged her and that seemed to make her feel even worse.

"Maybe you're right." She mumbled into his shoulder.

"I hope so." He mumbled back and she heard her own sadness mirrored in his voice.

**I always end up putting the humor right in the middle of the intense stuff. I do not do that on purpose but it works. Hope you liked that awkward slippery shower sex. Head injury, mouth full of soap and sliding around on some plastic and still our man perseveres! Such a trooper ;) Thanks for readin'! =)**


	81. Chapter 81

**I thought that it would take me longer to post this but I got caught up pretty fast. We're nearing the home stretch! Bitter sweet for me but I have to be honest, I am ready to stamp this story with a big fat COMPLETE! But I wont slack and I wont rush through it, I promise. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I say that every time because I am thankful for every single one of them! **

** I wanted to let you know that if you're looking for something else to read, something different from any story I have seen on here so far, you should go look up a story called Hell Fire Quarry. It is a story inspired by my brilliant minded friend HGRHfan35 and written by the lovely and talented ldyjaydin. I'm sure most of you will totally dig it. It's an AU set in the old west. We came up with the name from a Western that was Directed by Forrest Sheldon in 1932 called Hell Fire Austin. **

Chapter Eighty One

Daryl really wasn't feeling too good about this at all and as he glanced around he realized, with relief, that the rest of his group seemed to have the same feeling him and Merle had had from the beginning. Rick was there, of course, along with T-dog, Glen, Randal, and Merle. Morgan was now flanking Philip with that asshole Martinez. Philip was seated behind a desk, looking very much like the Governor that he claimed his people called him. Morgan and Martinez were both carrying rifles, neither even glancing towards any of them. They both just looked straight ahead. Other men were there too, in the shadows, just watching.

"I'm hoping you all got settled in okay." Philip said as he crossed his arms on the desk in front of him.

No one said a word. This was making his skin crawl. He could feel the men behind him, eyes boring into his back. He wanted more than anything to turn around and ask them what the fuck their problem was. He glanced at Merle, who stood next to him. His face was stone calm but he knew his thoughts were a reflection of Daryl's own. A muscle ticked in his jaw, his lips a thin angry line, eyes narrowed slightly.

"Well, first off I would like to thank you all for trusting me, and coming here. We went over a lot earlier but there is more. Like I said before, a group as strong as yours can prove to be really useful for a community like this. People here need to feel safe. Like this is home. People like you can provide them with the security that they need."

"And you don't think it's important for these people to learn to defend themselves?" Merle asked since no one else looked as though they were going too. Daryl was just going to try to hold on to his temper and keep his mouth shut. He had promised Carol that he would and so he would try. He just didn't have to like it.

Philip nodded. "Well, with a group this large, arming everyone would be more of a hazard than just arming a few."

"Arming a few for what, exactly?" Rick asked. "Arming a few to police the rest of them. That don't sound right to me."

"Not to police the others, to protect the others. From themselves and from one another. I'm sure a few of you know what I'm getting at here. Rick, you were a law man. You dealt with violence and crime on a daily basis. And you two," He glanced up at Merle and Daryl, "Well, lets not pretend that you two didn't play a hand in some criminal activity yourselves." He smiled.

Daryl imagined himself lunging across the desk and smashing the bastards face in. He imagined. But he kept his face devoid of any emotion. He had promised her. He had to keep repeating that to himself.

"And what if we decide we don't want any part of this fantasy land you're creatin' for them idiots out there?" Merle asked in a cold voice.

Daryl stiffened when he heard the men behind him move closer but he didn't turn. Martinez glared at Merle but Morgan just kept his eyes straight ahead. There was sweat breaking out on his brow. Suddenly Daryl realized that Morgan didn't want to be there at all. What the fuck was going on?

Philip held up a steady hand and the men behind them backed off. Daryl's skin was crawling even more now. Martinez smirked right at him. He couldn't help it. He flipped the guy off. Promise or not, he had to do _something._

"Well, Merle. If you decide that you don't want to stay then first thing tomorrow morning you can leave. We don't open the gates after dark. More biters out after dark, you understand."

"Is 'at right?" Merle asked lazily.

Philip nodded and then his eyes lit up like he had just remembered something. Now he flat out grinned up at Merle. "That reminds me. Martinez, go fetch our friend here the gift that we made him."

Daryl and Merle both stiffened at the same time. He didn't know what the fuck the man was talking about. What gift? Were they about to shoot his brother?

Martinez wasn't gone but a few seconds before he came back holding something in his hands. Daryl frowned at it. It was something made out of some kind of metal, it had leather straps and there was about an 8 inch retractable blade fixed to the end of it.

"Holy shit." Daryl muttered when he realized what it was.

Martinez looked at Merle expectantly, no sign of mocking in his gaze now. "You want me to show you how to put it on or what?" He asked.

"Mother fuck. Is this..." Merle began.

"This makes up fer tha' missin' hand ya got there, fella." A redheaded man that was standing off to the right said. He had a thick Irish accent.

Merle held out his arm to Martinez and the man quickly fixed the straps. When he stepped away everyone admired the thing, including Merle. He couldn't help but grin. He folded the knife in and turned his arm this way and that to admire it more closely.

Daryl rolled his eyes. How the fuck had they known that his brother would have gone all goo goo eyed over something like that. He had to admit though, the thing looked cool as fuck. He wasn't some one handed half cripple anymore. Merle just looked like Merle now. Scary as hell. How Daryl always remembered him.

Merle looked at Philip and his face turned cold once more. There was his brother. Daryl almost grinned. Philip seemed to understand that Rick was somehow this groups leader, but he also must have realized the meanest one there was Merle because that was who most of his attention was on.

"I'm glad you like it, Merle. Now, back to business. If you people do stay, could I count on you to help secure this town? Everyone here has a job to do. Your women will have jobs also. But I wanted you all strictly for security."

"The fuck you mean, jobs for our women?" Daryl growled.

"Was he talking to you?" Martinez sneered.

"Fuck you, you little ass kissin' pussy. You got some kinda problem? There somethin' me and you need to get outta the way real quick. I'm tired of your side eyed bullshit." Daryl was actually advancing on the man but someone pulled him back. He turned and glared at Merle.

Merle barely shook his head at him. Daryl was pissed. He looked back at Martinez, who looked just as pissed off as Daryl. He pointed, "Me and you need to go finish this shit outside."

"It's on, redneck."

Philip had his hands steepled on his desk. Looking on patiently. "What I meant by that was, we have crops to tend too, animals to feed, children to take care of and teach. It's usually the women around here that take care of all that."

"While the men walk around on a fuckin' wall and wait for shit to happen. Bullshit." Daryl spat. He had already started, there wasn't any sense in stopping now. "Our women didn't come here to be your fuckin' slaves. You bunch of assholes can go fuck yourselves. I'm done."

Daryl went to turn around but there were two men blocking his way. Suddenly he felt like a trapped animal.

"Please, just listen to what we have to offer. Please." Philip said as he held up a hand. "It isn't what it sounds like. We don't have the women slaving away while the men do nothing. It just takes a lot from everyone to keep the town up and running. I assure you, your women can have their pick of what they would like to do to contribute."

Daryl let himself relax a little. He still wanted to convince his brother to take Maggie and they all just get the fuck out but he knew Maggie wouldn't leave without her dad and her sister.

"And we don't need anyone to police the people here either. Everyone knows the rules and they abide by them. What we need are skilled people that can protect the town against the biters and other groups that would choose to take the town for themselves rather than join our ranks. In return you get provided with a roof over your heads, food, water, electricity. All the things from your old life are right at your fingertips. With Hershel and Milton here now we have even more to offer. We were able to salvage a lot of things from various hospitals. This is a good thing here."

"I can't speak for the others." Rick finally spoke up, "But me and my family are staying. I'll help guard the town."

"Me too." Randal chimed in.

Daryl groaned inwardly.

T-dog looked at him then and then back towards Philip, nodding.

Glen nodded too. That left Merle and Daryl. All Daryl could do was hope Merle would shake his head, pack his shit and get the fuck out of this place. He saw the inner turmoil. If it was just the two of them then they would have been gone long ago. They never would have came to begin with. But it wasn't just the two of them anymore. Merle loved that girl. He would probably never admit it but it was true and he had to think of her just like Daryl had to think of Sophia and Carol. It wasn't just them anymore.

Daryl had to look away as his brother slowly nodded his head in agreement. Daryl couldn't leave him. He thought maybe he could if it was to keep Carol and Sophia safe but he couldn't go without his brother. Merle was the only blood he had. The only blood he ever had. And now he was stuck here. Until Merle made the decision to leave Daryl would stay. Unless there was a direct threat to their women or the kids. Then he would leave. With or without his brother.

He realized that all eyes were on him now and he grudgingly nodded. He felt like he had just sold his fucking soul to the devil. Maybe he just had. His eyes flicked from Philip to Martinez. Martinez was smirking and gave him a wink before Daryl looked away. He was glaring towards his brother. He was sure he could have counted on Merle to not fall for this shit.

"Well then," Philip stood up with a satisfied smile, "Welcome to the ranks gentlemen. We'll meet back here in the morning to discuss everything else. Bring your women and, of course, your children. I expect you want them to join the other kids here. We're pretty proud of the school."

The other men had gone somewhere else as the group walked down the steps towards the street. Philip, Morgan and Martinez followed. Daryl was about to cross the street, not even wanting to look at the rest of the group.

"Daryl." Philip called.

He froze, took a few deep breaths and then turned to face the man once more.

"Will Sophia be joining the others tomorrow?" he asked.

Daryl shook his head. His eyes were narrowed.

The man looked disappointed but he just nodded.

"What was you expecting, Governor? That somebody like him would give a shit if his kid was educated?" Martinez laughed.

Daryl froze for a split second before spinning around and lunging at the man. He'd had enough of this guys shit. He was done. He rammed him like a linebacker, sending the man landing hard on his back and then he was on top of him.

Martinez was able to land one solid blow from his prone position but Daryl was so filled with rage all he did was laugh in Martinez's face, right before his fist met the side of the man's jaw. Their was a dull cracking sound that came from somewhere inside Martinez's face. Daryl was pretty sure he'd fucked the guys jaw up pretty bad, that registered in his mind right before his left hand smashed into his mouth. See if he had anything smart assed to say tomorrow.

He was about to land another right when someone, someone pretty damn strong, grabbed him by the wrist, holding his fist back. When he turned his head to see who had him he was just in time to see the leering face of some big black guy, right before Merle's arm came out of nowhere and blasted the grinning guy right in the center of the face. The sound of that metal against bone was pretty sick. Daryl stood up and stepped away from Martinez.

When he glanced up at Philip the man was still smiling and then he looked to his right and nodded. Daryl's gaze followed his and two more men were coming at him. What the fuck was this? He looked in the other direction and two more were there. Walking his way with mean looking grins on their faces.

He felt Merle's back against his then. He knew it was Merle. They had done this hundreds of times. Merle and his winning personality got him in quite a few bar fights over the years and this was how they ended up every time. The two of them facing bad odds and usually coming out on top. That was one good thing about spending your childhood getting your ass kicked. You eventually learned how to take a blow. It took a lot to actually knock a Dixon out cold.

Four men surrounded them and it seemed like there was an invisible signal, they all lunged at once. Daryl went for the biggest one first. That was always the logical thing to do. Take out the biggest threat and then the rest would a lot easier to handle.

When the man went to hit him he ducked down low and punched the guy as hard as he could right in the dick. No body said they had to fight fair. That guy wasn't getting back up for a while. The other one that was on him got in a good hit right under Daryl's eye but it didn't do much to him. He threw himself against the guy, who stumbled backwards not expecting to get a headbutt to the stomach he doubled over so Daryl kneed him in the face.

There, that wasn't so bad. He spun around and the two men that had went for Merle were both on their backs. Merle was standing there with his arms crossed. "The fuck took ya so long, boy?" He grinned.

Daryl grinned back. He wiped the blood off his cheekbone with the back of his hand.

"Now that was impressive." Philip said from his spot at the top of the steps that led to his Town Hall. He was smiling from ear to ear.

Daryl noticed then that the rest of the men in his group were just now being let go. They had been held back by Philips men.

"What the hell was that?" Rick roared as the man that had him by the arms let go of him. He stopped at the bottom of the steps.

Philip shrugged. "These two here have been bristlin' for a fight since we met. They got themselves an alpha complex. And it's earned as far as I'm concerned. They got to blow off some steam and I got to learn that these are the two I think I'm gonna need the most."

"And if those men had hurt them?" Rick nearly yelled.

Philip shook his head. "They were under orders to stop as soon as I told them to stop. Things around here only go as far as I let them."

Daryl saw it then. Realization dawned on Rick's face in that moment. They had fucked up coming here. He met Daryl's eyes and nodded. Daryl just gave him a hard look before he walked away with his brother. Carol was going to be so pissed when she found out they had gotten into a fight. Merle didn't look like he had been touched.

He was almost across the street when Merle threw his arm over his shoulder. "You looked damn good out there, little brother. I wonder what kinda point we just proved though."

Daryl shook his head. "Who knows. This fuckin' place gives me the creeps." He glanced at Merle. "We need to get the fuck outta here."

Merle nodded. "I know. But I don't think it's gonna be as easy as that. Some bad shit might be comin', boy. I think we need to play it cool for now. Go along with shit. If not then we're both gonna end up in the ground."

"Daryl." Rick called.

They both stopped and waited for Rick to catch up. He looked pissed. His authority had been triple trumped tonight and he didn't like it at all. He was right next to them before he spoke. "We need to get the hell out of here." He growled. "That man is nuts. He had those men hold us while four men came after you."

"We know, Rick. We were there." Merle said dryly.

"We leave. Now." Rick said, his voice shaking with anger.

Daryl glanced around and then grabbed Rick by the arm. "You had your goddamn chance before we even came here. You think that fucker is gonna let us walk out? You try to leave now we're all dead." He growled.

Rick glanced around also and ran a nervous hand through his hair before he looked at Daryl once more. "I just wanted everybody safe. How the hell was I suppose to know somethin' like this would happen."

"I told you." Daryl snarled. "Now we gotta deal with it for now. Act like everything is fine. If you don't we're fucked."

Merle nudged him and he backed away from Rick and then turned and followed Merle into the building.

**And now they know they are dealing with a freak. Nothing to be done about it now! I hope you liked this chapter! It gets more exciting, I promise. I'm always worried about boring you all! Let me know your thoughts! Much love to you readers! =)**


	82. Chapter 82

**I really liked writing this chapter for some reason. I guess that's how it is though. Some chapters just stick with a person. Anyway, I was happy to see that so many people enjoyed the last one. Any time anyone gets punched in the dick I guess it makes for a good read ;) That was my favorite part of the whole chapter. Haha. I really appreciate all your input! I hope you like this one as much as I did! It's a little smutty, so you've been properly warned! Have a good morning! =)**

Chapter Eighty Two

Carol watched Maggie pace nervously around the small room. The girl had came to her room a little while ago, full of nervous energy.

"They shoulda been back by now." Maggie muttered as she glanced towards the darkened windows.

"They're Dixons, Maggie. They'll be fine." Carol said even though her own nerves were stretched thin. If Maggie knew how scared she was herself it would only make it worse for the girl. Instead she sat cross legged on the couch and flipped through a magazine as she kept her face as calm as she could.

She was listening, knowing she probably wouldn't hear them coming down the hall. She was wrong. She heard footsteps. A lot of them, which caused her to spring from the couch in a panic. She instinctively put herself between Maggie and the door and when it flew open she braced herself, thinking that Philip's men were there to take them and this whole thing was a set up.

Daryl and Merle were the first two in the room but they were followed by Rick, T-dog, Glen and Randal. Her eyes went straight to his face. There was blood running down from a cut up high on his cheekbone.

Her first instinct was to be angry at him. He had promised her, she had made him promise more than once, that he would _not_ get in a fight. He promised he would keep his mouth shut and do nothing unless someone hit him first.

Anger was her first instinct. Once she got a look at the their grim faces, however, that anger quickly transformed into fear.

Maggie couldn't get to Merle fast enough. "You scared the hell outta me." She said as she pressed her forehead into his chest. One arm came around her but the other was held down to his side. Carol's eyes widened. There was a wicked looking metal contraption strapped to his arm. And it was bloody.

She was about to ask what happened but Rick spoke before she had a chance too.

"We can leave tonight. We can just sneak out without them knowing." He said as he paced.

Daryl glared at him. "Yeah, sounds real fuckin' easy, Rick. Why don't you go ahead and try that? Let the rest of us know how it works out for ya."

"Why don't you get off my back, Daryl? I didn't see this comin'. I wasn't the only one that was for this."

Daryl took a step closer, fists clenched. "But you're the one that named yourself our fearless leader. The one that tells everybody else how shit is gonna go."

Rick narrowed his eyes.

Carol watched them for as long as she could and then finally she couldn't keep her mouth shut anymore. "Can you two just stop and tell us what's going on. Please?" She crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst. "And why are you bleeding?" She looked back at Merle's new accessory.

"The good Governor had some of his men jump Merle and me. Four of'em." Daryl said in a matter of fact tone. As if that was not a very big deal at all.

"Why would he do that?" She felt an unfamiliar surge of rage rise up in her that she tried to swallow down.

Daryl just shrugged. "Wanted to see if we was all talk I suppose. Me and Martinez went at it and then he had more comin' as soon as it was over. Merle stepped in."

"The two of you had to fight off five men tonight? Under that mans orders?" Now Carol was glaring at Rick and the others.

Rick put his hands up. "The other men held the rest of us back. We tried to get into it but they weren't having it."

Sophia and Duane barged in then, assessed the scene with quick darting eyes and then looked towards the Dixon's.

"What the hell was that?" Duane asked as he stormed over to Merle.

Sophia crossed her arms. "We saw the last of it from the window. Daryl, you _have_ to teach me how to do that."

"Sophia, not now." Carol said sternly and then her eyes landed on Daryl. "What are we going to do?"

She watched his eyes as carefully as she could. She didn't like what she saw in those blue depths. He shook his head. How could she have been so stupid? She had been the one to talk him into coming here.

She let him take her hand and pull her closer. "We'll figure somethin' out." He said quietly. "We can't leave. There ain't no way that crazy fucker is just gonna let us leave this place."

Rick took a deep breath. "We can get some rest tonight, meet him in the morning like we were told to do and then figure something out. I don't know what else to do."

"We need to talk, Merle." Duane said suddenly.

Merle glanced down at the boy and nodded. He led Maggie out of the room with Duane on their heels.

Carol let go of Daryl's hand as the rest of them filed out of their room. She felt sick. Not just sick to her stomach either but sick all the way through to her bones. She had pressured him into this. He hadn't wanted this and neither had her daughter and now they were trapped like animals in this place. Daryl and Merle could have gotten hurt.

Sophia sat down next to her. "This is pretty bad." She said quietly. "I should have shot him when I had the chance."

Carol was feeling even more sick now. God, how had things gotten so bad? Oh yeah, she'd convinced the man she loved that this would be a good thing for Sophia. The girl that was now pouting because she hadn't killed a man when she had a chance. Her stomach twisted and she put her hand over her mouth and hurried to the bathroom.

~H~

Sophia watched her mom closely. She had grown from pale to nearly green and now she was getting sick. Daryl looked pained as he stood there looking towards the bathroom door.

"What do we do?" She asked him while they had a few minutes alone.

He kept his eyes on the bathroom door but he reached behind him and pulled out her gun. She stood up quickly and took it. She had felt so exposed without the familiar feel of it pressed into the small of her back.

She guessed now would be the best time to tell him some more bad news. "Daryl, we need to talk."

He finally looked at her. "About what?" He asked, sounding very drained.

She reached up and smoothed her thumb across the blood that had ran down his cheek from where that asshole had hit him. "We can't get to the truck. Me and Duane checked out the back and they have patrols everywhere."

"Keep that gun on you, you hear me?" He leaned into her face. "If any of them mother fuckers get near you you blow there fuckin' head off, you understand?"

She nodded, eyes going wide.

The door crashed open with a loud bang. T-dog charged into the room, looking like a raging bull. It was strange to see fury on this usually gentle mans face. "They're gone." He growled between clenched teeth.

"What?" Daryl frowned. "Who?"

Sophia already knew what T-dog was talking about.

"Not who. What. All our guns, all our ammo. It was in my room and now every bit of it is gone."

Sophia glanced at the bathroom door where her mom had just emerged. Carol groaned. "What now?"

Daryl shook his head. "Nothin' that can't wait till tomorrow." He muttered.

T-dog nodded and left the room. The three of them stood there for a long time, not saying anything. When the silence was broken it was Sophia who broke it.

"I'm gonna head back to my room. I'll come back first thing in the morning." She said as she watched her mom worriedly. She looked really scared. She silently hoped that she didn't look that way. She would do whatever she had to do. Her and Duane would get those guns. They were about the only ones that could. Everyone would be watching the adults but really wouldn't expect them to do anything crazy. She needed to make sure she kept it to herself for now too. Even Merle wouldn't agree to this.

"You watch your ass and remember what I said." He said as she reached for the door.

"I will." She gave him a half smile that he tried to return but it didn't reach his eyes.

She slipped silently down the hall and before she could knock on Merle's door Duane stepped out.

"We have to get those guns." She hissed as they made their way to her room.

"Merle just told me that from what he can tell, my dad isn't much happy about being here. He said my dad was probably just telling me I was okay because parents do that to keep kids from worrying. He said my dad looked scared tonight while they had their meeting."

"So if we find a way out of here then we have to talk your dad into coming with us." She said as they slipped into her room. Beth wasn't there. She was probably with Hershel.

"Exactly. Now, how do you think we'll be able to get out of here to get those guns?" He asked as he turned on a lamp.

They both nearly cried out when they noticed someone that had been sitting on the couch in the dark.

"You guys plotting without me?" Carl asked with a smirk.

"How did you escape?" Sophia asked.

He shrugged. "She went to sleep. My dad let me out but he damn near walked me to your door. It's so stupid." He rolled his eyes.

"Did your dad tell you about anything that's been going on?" Sophia asked.

He glared at the floor. "He doesn't tell me anything."

Sophia and Duane sat down on the couch, flanking him. "It's bad."

Duane nodded. "It's really bad. And we're the only ones that can really do anything about it."

"Time for a master plan boys." Sophia sighed and shook her head.

~H~

"You have to kill'em." Maggie deadpanned.

Merle looked up from cleaning the blood from the metal covering his arm. "Gettin' as bad as the kid's, girl." He smirked.

"This ain't a joke, Merle. Somethin' has to be done before they hurt one of us. Before they hurt you."

He kept his head down but his eyes looked up and met hers. "That ain't gonna happen. Not as long as they think we're gonna do what they want. They'll underestimate us. We just need to make ourselves useful for now. Plot while they ain't lookin'. I'm thinkin' they got a nice thing goin' with this little set up. I might not wanna go anyplace else." He looked back down and kept on cleaning off the blood.

"What do you mean?" She hissed. "You think we should just stay here?"

Merle felt the corners of his mouth turn up. "Safe enough place if you ask me."

"Merle, are you insane? I ain't gonna live under that mans thumb the rest of my life. I'd rather be back out there on the road."

He tossed the washcloth onto the table and made a grab for the long t-shirt she had changed into for bed. He yanked her until she stood right in front of him, hands on his shoulders and frown still in place. "I never said anythin' about lettin' the son of a bitch live, did I? I want this town. And I'm gonna take it."

"You could do that?" She whispered.

He chuckled low in his throat. "Oh, girly, you don't know half of what I'm capable of doin'. 'Specially if it means keepin' my people alive."

"You've killed men before? Before all this?" She asked quietly.

"Mmm hmm."

"Did ya kill just for killin sake or did you do it for a reason?" Her voice was quiet and when he looked up once more her eyes were drilling holes into his face.

"I did it once to save my brother. Did it a few more times to save my own ass. Killed two men in prison while I was servin' time for killin' the first man. But the other two were gonna kill me if I didn't do somethin'. Didn't have much choice."

"You killed someone to save your brother?" She breathed.

He nodded with a frown. Maybe he shouldn't be so quick to tell her this shit. What the hell got him started talking about this anyway? He had a sudden fear that she would bolt then. Just walk right out the door. He'd been waiting for her to do that for a while now but she always stuck right there with him. He was finding it difficult to raise his eyes to meet hers. What was he going to see there? Anger? Fear? The last thing he wanted was for her to be afraid of him.

He flinched when he felt her hand touch his jaw gently. He finally raised his eyes. The corner of her mouth turned up. "Is that how come you think you're a bad man that girl like me couldn't love?" She dropped onto his lap then, trapping him between her legs before he could move away from her.

He didn't look at her. What the fuck was this crazy girl thinking? Love? He scoffed inwardly.

"Well, is it?" She pressed as her other hand came up and trapped his face so he was finding it more difficult to avert his gaze.

"Ain't no such thing as shit like that, darlin'." His voice was a low rasp.

He felt her lips graze his. Usually it felt good when she did stuff like that. Right now, though he just felt trapped.

"You don't love your brother?" She asked softly.

He scowled. "Course I love my brother. He's my blood. That's different. You love your daddy and you love your sister for the same reason. They're blood."

"You ain't never loved anybody else?"

It was an innocent question. "No." he answered honestly.

"Anybody ever tell ya they loved you?" She asked.

His Scowl deepened. "What the fuck, Maggie? Get off this shit, would ya?" He tried to move her off of him but her legs locked around his waist.

"No."

He growled and then stood up, thinking she'd give up and leave him be. But those long legs of hers stayed clamped around his waist and when he finally looked her in the eye she was grinning and sliding her arms around his neck. Her lips grazed his lightly.

His jaw was clenched, muscles tense and body rigid. Her eyes were wide, innocent, and she was giving him that look. The one he had seen before. That look that made him feel like she was staring right into his head. Wasn't they just talking about him killing people? Why couldn't they get back on that subject. It didn't bother him. This shit bothered him. He was about to throw her ass down and go sleep in Sophia's room.

"What are you so afraid of?" She whispered.

His jaw was clenched so tightly that he wouldn't have been able to say a word, even if he had anything to say. Which he didn't.

"Is it that hard to believe? That I lo..."

He crushed her mouth with his, he didn't want to hear anything she had to say. His world was upside down enough. He already didn't feel like he was himself. He thought he had done okay and now she was tossing more bullshit on his plate and this time he wasn't going to swallow it. He needed her, for some fucked up reason. He could deal with that. He wanted her. That was obvious. But he didn't love this girl. He didn't know how and she didn't love him either.

He forced her lips apart, and then her tongue was fighting his for control. Her head jerked away from his but only for a second. Only long enough for her to yank the t-shirt over her head while he supported her weight with one arm and then her mouth came right back, just as forceful as his had been.

He took a step back, bumping into the nightstand that held the lamp. It crashed to the floor, plunging the room into darkness. His hand came up and jerked her head back roughly by the hair. She cried out but it didn't sound like a pained cry. His lips found the base of her throat and he dragged his teeth across the sensitive skin there. She whimpered, the sound causing all logical thought to fly right out the window.

She unwound her legs from around him and landed lightly on the floor. Without breaking stride she ripped his shirt open, buttons popping off, he barely even registered that as he felt her hands working the button of his jeans as the shirt slid off his shoulders, he was kicking his boots off. Before he even had his pants kicked all the way off she had her hands on his shoulders and her legs wrapped around him once again.

The feel of her skin against his felt like an electrical charge that sent a jolt through him. This was where the fun started. No worries, no reason to wait. No more anxiety about how he was going to hurt her. He could have taken her right there, she was climbing him like a tree. But he didn't want that. He lowered her to the bed and was actually able to brace himself above her since he had that thing strapped to his arm. The knife was tucked away, he hadn't had a reason to use it yet.

She was squirming under him now, hips coming up and sliding herself along the hard length of him, leaving a wet trail.

"Jesus," He breathed as she continued moving on him in a slow up and down motion. Her breathing was getting heavier, small sounds of pleasure escaping her throat every now and then as she pressed against him even harder and moved a little faster. Oh God. She was actually going to get herself off, sliding up and down like that, she moaned low in her throat and he stayed as still as he could while she road the underside of him. And it felt fucking amazing, even to him, like wet hot silk being dragged across his aching flesh.

She surprised him when she suddenly called out his name, moved her hips further up and then brought them down so he was almost inside her. He had only moved a fraction of an inch before she adjusted herself once more and then with one powerful thrust from her she took him all in, faster than he would have done considering how she still felt like this was her first time, wrapping around him and squeezing. He was almost sure he was hurting her, stretching her to the limits.

"Please, Merle." She gasped.

Then he knew that there was no pain, she moaned when he started moving, slowly at first, just to make sure she wasn't in any pain. When he felt her muscles tensing he moved faster, and when her breath suddenly caught in her throat he thought he was going to die right then, but he kept going bringing over the edge as she clung to him. There was something nagging at him in the back of his mind but nothing at all was able to really penetrate the unbelievable feel of being inside of her.

He raised up slightly, causing her to protest until he had both her legs draped over his shoulders and he moved up, sinking in deeper than he had before, driving into her until he had her writhing and moaning. This new positioning had him straining to hold off until she came again, but thankfully he didn't have to wait very long before he felt that rush of heat inside her and the now familiar trembling. As soon as his name left her lips he stopped holding back, thrusting faster as her head moved up those few inches and she was kissing him. He groaned into her mouth as he came, and somehow it was even more intense than it had been the night before. She was shuddering under him when he was finally finished. They were both panting like animals as her thighs slid down his arms, landing lifelessly at his sides.

There was still a nagging in his brain that he ignored as he laid the side of his rough face against the soft skin between her breasts. He slid his body down a little so he was no longer inside her. Feeling the wetness from the both of them on his stomach.

Her fingernails lightly grazed the skin on the back of his neck and then his shoulders and he almost sighed contentedly when suddenly he realized what he had done.

The bag was on the floor. By the bed. Oh fuck. His head snapped up and he jerked away from her.

"Merle?" She sounded almost hurt.

"Oh, fuck." He rasped, his voice filling with panic as he thought about that bag. So close to the bed. He had put it there for a reason. Easy access to all those damn condoms he'd snagged from the store. "Oh fuck." He said again.

She sat up as he flipped himself over onto his back. "Merle!" She snapped. "What it is?"

"The bag. I didn't use anything. I didn't think about it."

"Oh. _Oh!_" She sat up straighter.

He was panicking. Silently berating himself for being so stupid. So fucking stupid. But surely he didn't have anything to worry about. Fuck, it was only once, right? What were the chances of a girl getting knocked up just cause you came in her once? Surely the odds were slim. Some people tried for years to get knocked up. He was fine. She was fine. Everything was fine.

"It's probably fine." She whispered. "It was just once. One time, okay. Calm down."

He blew out a heavy breath. "Yeah, one time. Nothin' to freak out about." he laid his head back on the pillow and pulled the blankets up to his chest.

She slid in under the blanket herself and then burrowed into his side like she had done the night before. His arm came around her right as she craned her neck so she could kiss him on the jaw. He was starting to feel better. Less panicked than he had at first. That was until the damn girl had to go and open her mouth again.

"I really do love you, Merle. Whether you want me to or not. I'm gonna love you anyway.

He didn't say anything to that but she had to have felt the way his body had tensed up. Felt the way his heart started hammering too hard in his chest. Other things, though, she couldn't have noticed. Like the reason his heart was hammering so hard was because those words seemed to have broken something very fragile there. Or the way it wasn't very easy to breath anymore with a lump the size of his fucking fist stuck in his throat. And she probably wouldn't in a million years guess how much it fucking _hurt_ to hear someone like her say those words to an unworthy man like him. She could never know that it was like a painful blow to the stomach. And never would she guess how much he longed to say them back. He'd tell her he loved her a million times over if he thought for a second that it would change the outcome of this. But he knew how this would end. She had to realize that he wasn't someone that people could love. And once she finally understood that she didn't love him at all he would be left with her words, empty and untrue, ringing painfully in his head. And she would realize it eventually and she would crush him.

He squeezed his eyes shut and willed sleep to come. But it didn't. Not for a long time.

**Poor Merle =( But this is how I figure it would have been with him. Both of the Dixon's really. Being conflicted and unsure about ones self worth is a really rough thing for some people. And usually, regardless of what other people say, it takes a really long time for any show of real kindness from another person to stick. In this story I think I have made Merle a lot more damaged than Daryl. I hope you are all okay with that! I hope you liked it. Silly Merle forgetting the condoms. Haha! Thanks for reading!**


	83. Chapter 83

**I strategically threw in that little bit about Merle forgetting to "protect" himself to see what you all had to say about that. I wasn't sure to run with it or just let it be a scare. I think it should be up to you since _you_ are all the reason this story has come this far. The last chapter is going to be an epilogue set two years later. If you think this would be something he would want then I'll make it happen. If not then a scare it will be =) I just wasn't sure where to go with it. Just let me know!**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! I've been writing this story for seven weeks now and I am really surprised at all of the response I have gotten in such a short amount of time. I hope I deserve it and don't let you down in the end! All you cool cats have a fantastic morning! I'll catch you on the flip side ;)**

Chapter Eighty Three

Sophia was about as nervous as she had ever been in her life. Rick had taken Carl's gun but Duane still had his and she still had hers. But she didn't want to be put in a situation where she would be forced to use the gun. Not because she was afraid to use it. She was afraid of bringing those other men down on the whole group. If they messed up then that was what was going to happen. They were going to get the whole group killed.

It had taken forever for her to get up the nerve to try to sneak past Beth. The other girl had tossed and turned for hours but finally Sophia just had to risk it. The boys had been pacing the hallway anxiously.

"What do we do if we get busted?" Carl whispered as they made their way to the back of the building.

"Well," She sighed, "I guess we just have to hope like hell that they will take it easy on us since we are just kids."

"That's your plan?" Duane mumbled with a raised eyebrow.

She put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, Duane. That's all I got. You have a better plan?"

They were standing under the dark exit sign when they heard someone hurrying towards them. To her dismay Carl and Duane both pushed her against the wall and stood in front of her, Duane had his gun pointed in front of him. The lighting in the hallway was pretty dim but they could see a man coming at them.

"What the hell are the three of you up too? Are you really gonna try to sneak out?"

They all sighed in relief at the sound of the now familiar voice.

"Randal?" Carl hissed. "What are you doing? Have you been following us?"

When he reached them he was eying them suspiciously. "I knew somethin' was goin' on with you three. You and the Brothers Grim, I mean."

Sophia couldn't help it. She giggled quietly and shoved the boys apart so she could stand between them. "We have to get past those men and back to where the truck is. We have guns stashed there and since we've all been robbed, we have to get to them." She explained while the boys glared at her.

Randal just nodded as his face grew serious once more. "I'm in." He said in a whisper. "I can't stand it here. These people really give me the creeps. They freak me out more than Dave's group."

Sophia nodded but Carl and Duane both just shook their heads.

"The three of us can handle this without you." Carl snapped.

Randal just rolled his eyes at the boy. "I can help." He insisted.

"We don't even know you." Duane said suspiciously.

Randal just stared at him for a second. "We've been in the same group for a month now. You know you can trust me."

Duane glanced at Carl. "He's right, I guess. He's been with this group as long as I have and maybe we could use the help."

Sophia shook her head then. "There is already three of us. More people involved is just more of a chance of us all getting caught."

Randal studied her and then pursed his lips. "Well, I'm here. I'm coming with you whether you three want me too or not. That truck is pretty close but you guys could still run into some trouble out there. You just never know. What if a herd comes?"

Duane scoffed. "If a herd comes then we're probably dead meat. You wouldn't be much help with that."

Randal shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at Sophia. "I'm comin'. Either I come with you or I go wake up your parents. Which is it?"

"Son of a bitch." Carl hissed.

"Sophia?" Someone called quietly from the end of the hallway. It was definitely a female but none of them could tell who it was until they approached.

"Beth?" Carl frowned. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at all of them. "I should be asking you the same thing. Sophia I promised Daryl I'd keep you outta trouble." She flashed Randal a dangerous look. "And ain't you a little too old to be sneakin' around with them?"

"The _Governor_ and his band of Merry Men stole all our guns. He set Merle and Daryl up and they had to fight off four guys at once while the other men held us down so we couldn't help." Randal snapped. "These kids have guns stashed and now we're going to get them."

Beth seemed to take this news in quickly as she studied them all in the dimness of the hallway. "Where?" She finally asked.

"The truck. It really wasn't broke down. We just needed a place to keep the guns until we needed them. Which happened to be sooner than we thought." Sophia whispered.

"So Merle and Daryl know about this too?" Beth asked.

Everyone nodded. "It was Sophia's idea. Just a precaution." Carl said. "Lucky for us she came up with it."

Beth nodded and then took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm in."

Duane threw his hands up in exasperation. "The hell you are! This is risky shit here. The more people going out there, the more chance we have of getting spotted. The three of us can do this faster and safer without you two getting yourselves involved."

"Then I'm gonna go get Merle." Beth said stubbornly.

Duane shrugged. "Go ahead. He'd probably give me an extra gun."

She glared at him. "I'm comin' with you."

Sophia held up a hand before Duane could say anything else. "Do the two of you have guns?" She asked.

Randal and Beth nodded.

She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Okay then. Let's go."

The boys groaned but Beth and Randal grinned at her. She rolled her eyes and turned towards the door.

~H~

"Wake up!" Carol said as she shook Daryl's shoulder. His arm tightened around her waist but he didn't open his eyes. "Daryl!"

Finally his eyes snapped open and then narrowed at her. "What? It ain't even mornin' woman, damn." He groaned and then rolled over, pulling her with him so she was lying halfway across his chest.

"Daryl, I need you..." She whispered but he cut her off.

"Oh?" He grinned and then pulled her until she was straddling him.

She slapped his chest as she sat up. "That isn't what I was about to say. I need you to listen to me." She never would have guessed it when she had first met him that no matter what was going on he could instantly be sidetracked with the thought of sex.

He sighed and then reached over and turned on the lamp. "You got me up. Now, what?" He laced his fingers behind his head as he laid back down and peered up at her, squinting at the light.

"I was thinking." She began as her eyes left his and slid down to his lips. She swallowed. "I was thinking that we should just kill them. All of them."

He frowned. She kept her eyes focused on his mouth. "What?"

"We should kill the Governor and all his men. It's the only way we can get out of here. We still have the guns we had on us and you all will probably have more guns after tomorrow. We should kill them." She was talking to fast, rambling like an idiot, but she had woken up with the idea and she had to tell him about it. She wasn't a vicious person. Not at heart but she was desperate right now. This whole mess had made her physically sick and it was the only thing she could think about. This was the only solution that she could come up with. She would kill them herself if it would protect her group.

He sat up and ran his hands up her thighs until they had ghosted up her shirt and then locked behind her back. "Where the fuck did all this come from? This ain't you, Carol."

"This is who I have to be right now." She whispered desperately. "We have to get out of here. I should have told you I would leave with you. Instead I keep messing things up, forcing you to come here. Forcing Sophia to come here. I should have listened to you."

His frown deepened and she finally met his eyes. His hands ghosted across her skin, causing her back to tingle. She had to shake her head to focus. "You wanted Sophia to have a life. Ain't nothin' wrong with that. It ain't your fault we're here." His tone was soft but believable. He wasn't blaming her for this mess. But that didn't lesson the guilt that she felt. It didn't do anything to make her feel any better.

"You didn't want to come here, Daryl." She whispered.

"I'm an asshole that never wants to do anything." He met her eyes. "We can't just shoot the place up. I already thought of that."

"Why not?" Her voice cracked and his hands stopped moving across her skin.

"Cause they outnumber us. They outgun us. We'd all be dead in seconds if we tried some crazy shit like that. Merle's right. We gotta lay low. We gotta make the asshole think we're just gonna roll over. He's arrogant enough to fall for it. Then we make a move when it wont get us killed."

"Then what do we do? After he's dead?" She whispered.

He shrugged. "I want this town."

She frowned. "What?"

"I wanna take this town. It makes sense. It's secure and there's plenty of supplies. The only thing wrong here is that piece of shit that's runnin' things. And them bastards that follow him around."

Carol didn't know how she was suppose to feel about that. They were casually talking about murder here. Talking about killing men. But she felt herself relax against him now. He would take care of it. He'd fix the mess that her and Rick and the others had made by blindly following this man into this town without listening to either of the Dixon's warnings.

"You don't seem like you're gonna put up much of a fight about all this." he smirked.

"I'm not. I'm done fighting you over stuff. Every time I do I end up paying for it. I'm gonna do whatever you think is best from now on." She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Really. You're gonna listen to everything I got to say now?"

"Yep. All I'm gonna end up doing is getting us killed by fighting with you."

"So I'm the boss now, huh?" He grinned.

She gave him a dry look and wandered if she had made a huge mistake. "I think that's for the best for now."

He nodded, his face growing serious once more. "You know that anything I tell you to do is for your own good right?"

She smiled. "I know."

"So, I get to start tellin' ya what to do startin' when?"

"Right now. I'll do whatever you say, starting now." She knew where this was going but she kept her face as serious as his.

"Then lose that fuckin' shirt woman, we're burnin' up time here."

She grinned. "You're the boss, Dixon."

~H~

Sophia, Carl and Duane hurried through the woods on silent feet. They wanted to avoid the road since they didn't know if there were people out there patrolling it. Best to stay in the trees. Merle and Daryl had taught them how to be silent. Unfortunately Beth and Randal hadn't had the training that they had had.

Duane finally stopped, glaring at the two behind them. One of them had snapped a small fallen limb as they stepped on it instead of over it, making a loud snapping sound that seemed to grate against the three kids' nerves. "Do you think the two of you could be any louder? Jesus!" He whispered sharply.

Normally Sophia would have told him to lay off but she was just as frustrated as he was. The two newcomers didn't know what the hell they were doing. They were slowing them down and they were making too much noise. It was hard to tell if something was coming at you when the people you were with were making too much noise, and they were definitely making way too much noise between the two of them.

"How the hell are we suppose to be quiet when we're walking on dead leaves and sticks through the woods?" Randal snapped back.

"_You_ can't." Duane growled. "Which is exactly why you both should be back in your rooms right now, sleeping. You're slowing us down and you're putting us at risk."

"Don't talk to me like I'm some sort of kid, _kid._" Randal said bitterly.

Duane glared at the man. "Out here, I ain't no _kid_, asshole. I know more than you. Out here, you listen to me. You got that? Cause before I let you get us killed I'll kill your ass myself."

Randal took a step towards him but Beth stopped him with a hand on his chest. "Don't you dare." She snapped. "They're right. We're bein' too loud and we're slowin' them down. But we came to far to go back. We gotta keep goin'."

Randal finally nodded and Sophia took Duane's hand. "Not right now, Duane. We gotta stay focused." She whispered.

Just before they started walking again they heard something coming towards them, still a good distance away. Carl had his knife in his hand quickly. They could tell by the sounds of it's shambling footsteps that it was a Walker. Only one, which was good news. They could certainly handle one lone walker.

Instead of waiting on it Duane and Carl took off towards it. Beth was about to call out but Sophia put a finger against the girls lips. Beth nodded and then the three of them hurried off after the boys. When they caught up with Duane and Carl both boys had stopped in their track. There was a small clearing in front of them and there was something separating them and the Walker that was now visible, stumbling forward with purpose.

"What is that?" Sophia hissed.

"A body." Carl whispered as he watched the Walker approach the prone form on the ground.

Sophia squinted, the moonlight not giving off as much light as she needed to make out any details of the still shape between them and the Walker. But suddenly the 'body' moved. Rolling over to one side and trying to crawl away from the advancing Walker. Just then another stepped out of the trees on the other side of the clearing.

"Jesus, whoever it is, they're still alive!" Sophia was about to run ahead before the Walkers could reach whoever it was.

Carl caught her around the waist before she could get far. "You sure you wanna save them? If more Walkers are comin' they'll be distracted by food."

She gave him a hard look and jerked out of his grip before running towards the stranger. She heard the boys, right behind her but knew that Beth and Randal were frozen. Unsure how to proceed. What a jerk! She couldn't believe Carl was willing to sacrifice some living person just so they would be able to make it to the truck easier.

She went for the Walker that was the closest to the person on the ground. Luckily that Walker was a woman and was relatively small. Sophia threw herself at the snarling thing, jumping right over the body on the ground. When she hit the thing with everything she had it went sprawling backwards and Sophia landed gracelessly on her knees. But Daryl had taught her how to be quick and she was up and moving once more before the Walker had a chance to regain any sort of footing. Sophia didn't hesitate at all. She held the knife in a two handed grip and then plunged it into the Walker's skull.

She looked up as she wiped the knifes blade onto her jeans. A pair that she loved that Carl had gotten for her. Damn it. Carl and Duane made quick work of the other two Walkers and there hadn't been a need to draw their guns. They had to do a lot more footwork than she had since both Walkers they faced had been much bigger than them. Merle had taught them well, telling them that size don't matter outside the sheets, whatever that meant, and that they couldn't get side tracked just because something or someone was bigger than them. Thinking about that would get their asses kicked in a real fight or get their asses bit if they were going up against a Walker.

Once the Walkers were down Sophia faced the person that was still on the ground. The moonlight was bright in the clearing, painting everything with a silvery glow. She could see that it was a woman. She had dark skin and long dreadlocks held back by a wide headband. She was lying on her back now with her eyes closed, breathing in quick shallow pants.

Sophia heard the boys approach her from behind. Carl put a hand on her back. "You alright?" He whispered as Duane walked around her to get a better look at the woman.

"I'm fine." She said as she took another step herself.

They all three jumped back as the woman's dark eyes flew open and her arm snaked out quickly, grabbing something that had gone unnoticed at her side. She pulled the object until she was gripping it with both hands.

"Holy shit! Is that sword?" Duane's eyes looked as though they would pop out of his skull at any second.

"What are kids doin' out here?" The woman managed to croak weakly.

Randal and Beth were running towards them now. The woman's head turned to watch the newcomers approach.

"Sophia." Carl whispered, leaning close so she would be the only one to hear him. "Look at her side."

When Sophia glanced down from the woman's face she saw the slick blood, washed black from the moonlight, covering her shirt. The clothes hid the wound so they didn't know if it was a bite or not.

"Have you been bitten?" Sophia asked as she pulled the knife back out and held it tightly at her side.

"No. I was shot. Just grazed really." She grimaced as she covered her side once more.

"Let me look." Beth said suddenly, kneeling down next to the woman like she had known her all her life.

"Beth, wait." Randal put a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off.

"I've seen daddy take care of enough animals to know what I'm lookin' for." She said as she gently moved the woman's hand away from her wound. "My name's Beth." She smiled slightly as the woman kept her eyes on her face.

"Michonne." The woman said.

"Who in the world would want to shoot you, Michonne?" Sophia asked as Beth examined the long rugged tear in the woman's side.

"Some men from a town not too far from here. You kids best steer clear of it. It isn't nothing like what it seems." She winced.

"Sorry." Beth mumbled.

"We know the town. Our people are there now." Duane said angrily.

"Son of a bitch." Sophia cursed from between clenched teeth. She knew it was bad. She knew that it was really bad. But to have all their fears confirmed made things _real_ in a different way. This was proof that if they didn't do something soon they were all dead. But not all hope was lost. They could bring the guns back, Merle and Daryl would come up with a way to get out of this mess and then everything would be fine. She just couldn't stop her mind from wondering, who were they going to lose in the process?

**Yes. I brought in one last member. She doesn't have a huge part but she serves a purpose. Her being shot causes a bit of conflict back at Woodbury. I was going to make it just some random stranger found in the woods but decided to have a familiar face make an appearance! XD**


	84. Chapter 84

**I got to thinking after going over this chapter. I can totally picture the Governor all tied up saying, "I woulda gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids... and your freaky Ninja friend." Okay, enough of that. Just thought I would share some of the weird crap that goes through my mind every now and then. It would be pretty funny though. But unfortunately the Governor doesn't get tied up in this chapter ;) Anyway, I now know what direction I am going to go in now! Either way, I'm excited for Merle. I love that man! XD Thank you to everyone that reviewed and thank you to everyone that read and didn't review! As long as you're reading =) That's all I care about! I do appreciate your input though. You all are great! XD**

Chapter Eighty Four

Merle nearly jumped straight out of bed when he heard the light knock at the door. He yanked his pants on, grabbed his gun and then looked towards the window to confirm that it was still night. He was opening the door before whoever was on the other side could even knock again.

Morgan stood on the other side, Merle's eyes narrowed at the sight of the man. "What they got you doin' now, playin' babysitter." He growled.

Morgan's eyes hardened at Merle's tone but he kept his voice pleasant. "I came for Duane."

Merle frowned and then stepped out into the dimly lit hallway, shutting the door silently behind him. "Ain't seen him since we got back from that little party across the street. He ain't in your room?"

Morgan shook his head. "I just thought he didn't want to be alone. Figured he came over here to sleep."

"He ain't the same boy you lost. He ain't scared of shit. He wouldn't have came here."

The door opened then and Merle saw Morgan's eyes widen. He glanced back and there was Maggie, hair a mess, rubbing sleep from her eyes and wearing nothing but one of Merle's black t-shirts. "Merle?" She mumbled sleepily. "What's wrong?" The shirt barely reached mid thigh and even Merle had to swallow hard to get his voice to work

"Jesus, girl." He grumbled. "Get back in bed. It's just Morgan, and I'd say you're bout to give him a fuckin' heart attack." He glanced at Morgan, who was politely looking away with a small smile playing around his lips.

"Kay." She mumbled and then smiled. "Hurry up." She reached up and kissed his jaw.

She shut the door, both men staring after her for a few long seconds. When Merle looked back Morgan's eyebrows were raised appreciatively. Merle had to fight off the smug grin that threatened to take hold of his face.

"You check Sophia's room? If he ain't where he's suppose to be then he's gotta be there."

Morgan nodded and then looked at him questioningly before Merle could slip back into his room.

"What?" He asked, a little more irritably than he should have. But all he think about was getting back to bed.

"I never had a chance to thank you. You know, for taking care of my boy and for teachin' him things I never even thought to teach him."

Merle just nodded and then left the man in the hall. Damn right he needed to thank him. If not for Merle the boy wouldn't know the first thing about defending himself. As soon as he crawled quietly back into the bed Maggie rolled over and burrowed in as close to his side as she could get. She'd ditched the shirt.

"What'd he want?" She asked after a minute of silence.

"Couldn't find the boy. Thought he'd be here."

She raised her head up. "Where do you think he is?"

"By now?" He shrugged. "Probably on his way back from the truck with the other two." He smirked.

Her eyes widened. "Merle! You sent them out alone? At night?"

"No. But I'd bet everything I owned that they snuck out to get them guns."

"You ain't afraid they got caught?" She asked, sitting up all the way now. "Merle, we don't know what those men would do to them!" Panic was lacing her words.

"If they went to get those guns then they didn't get caught. They didn't get bit. They didn't get ambushed. You don't understand them kids like I do. Too smart for any bullshit like that."

She relaxed next to him once again and twined her fingers through his. "I hope you're right."

"I am." he said quietly.

~H~

It didn't take them as long as Sophia thought it would to get to the truck. They, thankfully, managed to avoid any more Walkers. Randal and Duane helped Michonne once Beth deemed her able to make the walk back. She could have used some stitches but there wasn't anything they could do about that now.

"You can't come back to Woodbury with us, and you can't just stay in the woods while your injured like that." Sophia observed as the woman leaned against the truck for support.

The boys were under the truck, untying the guns. Randal was pacing nervously. "So what can we do help her?" He asked as though Michonne weren't standing right there.

Sophia wasn't sure what to do. All she knew was that if they left her then she would surely die. And she wasn't going to be responsible for this woman's death. Her head snapped up once an idea started to take shape. "Do you think you could drive?" She asked.

Michonne nodded weakly. Her body was weak but her eyes were still sharp. "But there isn't anywhere to drive too, kid."

"The truck's broke down, remember?" Randal stated dryly.

"No it ain't." Duane said as he slid out from under the truck, dragging the bag of guns out with him. "We just didn't want them searchin' the vehicles and findin' these. The truck's just fine."

Sophia grabbed Randal's arm. "You have to take her to that town we were in. Take her to the apartments. Find something to help her clean that wound out."

"What?" Randal took a step back. "Just take off and leave you guys?"

"Randal, this is the best way." She muttered as she slid one of the rifles out of the bag and thrusted it towards him. Duane handed him a box of ammo.

"We'll be fine. If you don't get her out of here she's gonna die."

Randal took the rifle and nodded. "Alright then. But what do we do? Do we just hole up there for the rest of our lives?"

Sophia shook her head. "We'll come back and get you. All of us."

Michonne shook her head. "Kid, ain't none of you getting out of there alive. You should come too. It's the only chance you're going to get."

Sophia shook her head. "No. that man's as good as dead, lady. I promise you that. He really did pick the wrong group to mess with."

Michonne almost smiled.

"It's true." Randal said as he opened the passenger door and helped her in. "These kids alone are dangerous. You throw in the Brothers Grim and all bets are off. The Governor and his cronies, no matter how many of them there are, don't stand a snow balls chance in hell."

"The Brothers Grim?" Michonne asked with a frown.

"Would you stop calling them that." Sophia hissed.

Randal just shrugged. "It fits."

"Give us about five minutes before you take off. If there's anyone out here to hear you then I want to be as close to town as I can get."

"Are you gonna tell Merle and Daryl about this?" Randal asked.

Sophia nodded. "Everybody will know where you are. Just take care of her."

Duane hefted the heavy bag over his shoulder and the four of them hurried back into the woods. Getting out hadn't been as hard as they thought it would be. Everything was pretty much blocked off and they thought they were going to have to scale a wall and risk getting seen. They had hidden from three different men that had been walking the perimeter but the back of the town wasn't their main focal point to guard. It was the main wall that most of them manned.

But they didn't have to scale the wall. Carl had found a small opening between a cement block wall and an overturned truck that was just big enough to slip through. The only person that had trouble with it was Randal but even he managed to slip through without getting caught. As soon as they were through they heard another man making his rounds. Walking quickly. They had all held their breath and listened but he had kept on going.

Getting back in was going to be tough since they couldn't see what was going on or if anyone was there. They just had to listen and wait. At first they hadn't wanted to bring the guns in with them. But now that things were taking a turn for the worse, they needed them handy. Hopefully they could find a good place to hide them so they wouldn't be found by the assholes that took the other guns.

When they reached the same spot they had emerged from they all crouched down and listened, all of them holding their breaths. They could hear men talking not far away.

"Shit." Carl whispered. "You think they've set up post back here?"

Sophia shook her head but deep down she wasn't sure. If so then they would need to find another way in and if they had to do that then they would have to travel further, with a bag of guns, after curfew. They'd be screwed. There was no way they would get past another patrol. This spot was perfect because it was only a few yards from the back door they had emerged from. And even that had been difficult. They had made it just by the skin of their teeth.

"We wait." she said after a few seconds of silence. "They wont stay there." She hoped not anyway.

~H~

Merle was expecting another knock on the door but he still groaned out loud when he heard it. Maggie had just managed to get his jeans undone.

"I fuckin' knew it." he growled as he grabbed her hand before she had a chance to cloud his head.

He stood up, fixed his jeans and then threw the now buttonless shirt over his shoulders. This was going to be a really long night.

Morgan was there, as expected. "I'm sorry. I can't find him. Sophia's room is empty and I just saw Rick. He can't find Carl either."

"Son of a bitch!" Merle hissed. He didn't need Rick's shit and if Carol found out Sophia was missing she was going to have a fit. Hell, even Daryl would have himself a stroke if he knew that she had, once again, taken off with those boys. And now he had to keep Maggie from finding out that Beth had went with them. All this was suppose to be kept quiet. This was not quiet.

"I don't know what to do." Morgan was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Calm down, man. This ain't the first time those kids have took off somewhere." Merle said as he looked down the hallway.

"It's the first time they've done something like this here. I'm tellin' you, Merle, these men shoot first and ask questions later."

Merle gave Morgan a hard look. "You mean _your_ men?"

Morgan blew out a frustrated breath. "Please, if you know where he is then tell me. Please. I'll go get them myself."

Maggie came out then, dressed once again in his shirt but she had thought to throw on her jeans so her presence wasn't as distracting as it had been earlier. She didn't say anything. She just stood there, waiting expectantly.

Merle sighed. "We best head on to Daryl's room."

"They're already waiting in Sophia's room." Morgan said. "They know it would be dangerous to go search for them but that's what they are thinking about doing."

"Beth's room? Why would they be waitin' for'em in Beth's room?" Maggie asked suspiciously.

"Maggie..." Merle began but she didn't let him finish.

"Beth went with'em and you didn't tell me?" She glared. "Beth ain't trained like them, Merle! She'll get her damn self killed!"

"Keep your damn voice down, girl. She's fine! I didn't even know she had tagged along." Merle snapped, not effected by her anger.

"Wait, you know where they are? Man, if you know where my son is you need to tell me now." Morgan hissed. He looked frantically between Merle and Maggie.

"Ya'll need to calm the fuck down a second. Shit. They're fine. Just went on a little run is all." Merle said as he grabbed Maggie by the arm and led her towards Beth and Sophia's room. She yanked her arm away from him and glared but she followed him along with Morgan.

Merle cursed under his breath when he opened the door. They were all there, crammed into the small room, talking in hushed voices. When he entered everyone grew silent and stared at him. Well, some stared. Others openly glared. Maggie left his side and went to Hershel.

"I know you know where the hell my son is. You need to tell us now!" Lori snapped as soon as he shut the door.

"Fuck off." Merle glared back at her.

Daryl was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't look as panicked as everyone else. Carol was there, standing with him and Merle was surprised to find her looking just as calm.

"Merle, you have to tell us what's going on." Hershel said quietly. "Please."

Merle sighed and leaned against the door. "I ain't positive but I think they made their way back to the truck."

"What?" Rick gasped.

"Them guns that turned up missin'. The boys were the ones that took'em. Tied'em up under the truck and then I ditched the truck in case shit went down here and our guns turned up missin'. Which they did."

Lori and Rick both went pale. "They went outside? They left the town, alone?"

"No." Merle deadpanned. "They went out there together."

"Do you think this is a joke?" Rick spat as he stepped up into Merle's face.

"Well, not a real joke. Nothin' like your marriage." He smirked.

"That's it." Rick growled. He was about to grab Merle but then the door opened, bumping against Merle's back and both men moved out of the way.

"Oh shit." Carl muttered as the four of them hurried into the room and then noticed that it was full of a lot of concerned faces.

"Oh shit?" Lori growled as she yanked him towards her by his shirt and hugged him before leaning down into his face. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He didn't have a chance to say anything but he did manage to yank away from her grasp before the room erupted in quiet chaos at the sight of what Duane had. The guns.

~H~

Daryl felt the tension abate a little when Sophia followed the others into the room. Everyone was talking at once in hushed whispers. He had been scared. Every time the girl wasn't in his sights he was anxious, but this had to be done. He knew, as soon as Rick came to their room that her and the boys had went for the guns.

Sophia looked up and locked eyes with him. She looked at her mom and then her eyes dropped to the floor as she made her way over to them. It was obvious that she knew she had really messed up this time. Carol hadn't said much. He had asked her if she was alright several times but she had simply nodded and held his hand. He studied her face but she was like stone. Giving nothing away of what might be going through her mind.

Sophia stopped and finally looked up. There was a look of defiance on her face that he had seen a hundred times already but there was something else too. She hated what she had been putting her mom through.

"Mom, I'm sorr..."

Carol's hand shot out quickly and covered the girls mouth. For a second Daryl thought she was going to slap her across the face and his heart had hit the floor. But she simply cut off the girls words. "Don't you dare tell me you're sorry. We both know you aren't." Carol said gently but in a voice loud enough that it broke through the rest of the chaos in the room. Many eyes fell on them. "What you did was stupid. It was dangerous. You all could have been killed." She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly as she crouched down in front of the girl. "Thank you. What you kids did will probably end up saving all of us. It took guts to do what you did." She took her hand away from Sophia's mouth then.

Daryl felt like someone had knocked the wind out of him. Everything she had said to him earlier, she had meant it.

"Are you serious?" Lori hissed. "My son could have been killed and you're _thanking_ her for this?"

"She's right." Morgan said as he put his hands on Duane's shoulders. "You don't understand how dangerous these men really are. If they would have been caught..."

Carol stood up, her face growing hard, her eyes narrowed. "I know exactly how dangerous those men are. Don't think for a second I don't. I also know that now we at least have a chance to get the hell out of here. And Lori," She shot the woman a look that had even Daryl stepping back, "You blame my daughter for this and I'll show you exactly what being with a Dixon teaches a woman. Your son wasn't forced to do a damn thing. He did what the rest of us didn't have the balls to do. So just shut up. For once in your life, shut your fucking mouth."

Daryl glanced over at Merle who was grinning. Rick looked like he was about to say something when Carl broke the awkward silence.

"We found someone in the woods tonight. Someone alive. We saved her from Walkers." He said hurriedly.

"What?" Merle and Rick both said at the same time, causing Merle to scowl.

Duane nodded. "She was injured and was about to become a snack. Beth looked her over and she was okay but real weak. Randal's with her."

"Randal's out there?" Dale asked, looking around the room and seeming to just realize the guy wasn't a part of the party.

"Where?" Daryl asked. "In the woods?"

Sophia shook her head. "He took her back to the town we found. They're gonna wait there for us."

"Who was this woman?" Morgan asked.

"Michonne. She said her name was Michonne."

Daryl watched as the man shook his head. "That can't be. I shot her. She's dead."

Duane spun around and took a step back, unconsciously stepping into Merle, who cupped the boys neck and glared at Morgan.

"What?" Duane whispered. "Why would you do that?" The boy, who had showed so much courage in the face of everything they had been through looked as though he would burst into tears at any moment.

Morgan looked at the floor. "I didn't have a choice, son. I was under orders."

Duane shook his head back and forth. "What could she have done? Why?"

"They told me she was a danger to the town. They didn't say why. I just knew if I didn't do it then I'd probably be next."

Duane lifted his chin and glared at his father. "You told me this place was a good place. You told me that we were safe here." His voice was hard. Merle's hand was still on him which surprised Daryl a bit.

"As long as you do what they say it is. It's better than being out there." Morgan was desperate to make the boy understand.

"You know, one of the things I like best about the Dixon's, dad? One of the best things about them is the fact that when they give it to you, they give it to you straight. They don't lie right to your face just to make you feel better. That's why, to me and to Carl and Sophia, they're better than most people. I never thought you'd lie to me. I never thought you'd be a murderer."

"Duane, you don't understand." Morgan mumbled, watching as Duane backed away from him more to stand at Merle's side.

"You're right. I don't. And when it's time to go, I'm leavin' with my people. If you're smart then you'll do the same." He looked up at Merle, gave the man a nod and then left the room.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes after that. Morgan looked like someone had just beaten the life out of him. His head was hung as he stared at the floor.

"Well, kid." Daryl said as he knelt in front of Sophia. "What's the plan now?" He winked.

**I know that some of you might think that the kids are just too much at this point. All i have to say to that is... =P. Because i really love them like this. They totally get stuff done and I adore their little hard core butts! XD This is where I needed them to be because some things are going to go down and they are going to play a major role in the end game. It's exciting. I can't stop writing even though now I am feeling sad about the end being so close. It's a lot closer to me than you since I am ahead by five chapters. I think you will all be as excited as I am. I hope so. This has been a hell of a story to write! And I love you all for giving me the drive to keep it flowing! Have a great morning! =)**


	85. Chapter 85

**I figured since we are getting closer to the end that I would post another chapter today. Like old times ;) Hope you enjoy this one! Thanks for the reviews! There were some new faces! That's always exciting! Have a good night my friends. I'll post another in the A.m. =)**

Chapter Eighty Five

They had all been woken up pretty early, which wasn't something any of them wanted to do since the night had been long, drawn out and pretty dramatic. No one had gotten enough sleep. Carol figured that it was a good thing that being deprived of sleep was something they were all pretty used too.

Rick was forcing Carl to go to the school where there were about six other children around his age, plus plenty of others a little older and a little younger. Sophia had gotten up on her own, showered, dressed and was ready before Carol had even risen.

"I'm going to this stupid school." She had announced, waking her and Daryl both up.

She had came back to their room with them and slept on the couch. Daryl had sat up then and squinted at the girl. "School sucks. The fuck ya gonna do that for? School don't make any sense anymore."

Carol had laughed into her pillow. "Daryl, really?"

He looked over at her and snorted. "Yeah, really. What the fuck they gonna teach her? The different stages of Walker decay. Fuckin' bunch of idiots." He looked back up at her. "I done told'em you wasn't goin'. You ain't gotta go if you don't want too."

Sophia's annoyed look dropped from her face and she grinned at him. "We fit in for now, remember? That's what we do. I go to school and you two go on to whatever idiot job they have in store for you."

He growled and dropped back down onto his pillow. "This is bullshit."

She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "And no fighting, Daryl. If you and Merle are beating the crap out of everybody then we'll never blend in."

"Yes ma'am."

Shortly after Sophia had left they got a wake up call from Martinez, of all people. Not that they even needed it. They had been up for a while. When Carol had opened the door the man looked awful. His jaw was so swollen it made his face look almost deformed, both eyes were black and his nose was now setting a bit askew on his face. He was glaring at her.

"The Governor wants to see your group in thirty minutes. Don't be late." He growled before turning and walking away.

Carol shut the door and leaned against it right as Daryl came out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a low slung pair of pants, still unbuttoned and rubbing his damp hair vigorously with a towel. She felt herself flush. Not just her face either, but her entire body seemed to heat up.

"Who the fuck was that?" He mumbled.

She cleared her throat and forced herself to look at his face, it was having the same effect on her. More so than usual. "Martinez." She said and instantly a muscle in his jaw started twitching.

"Fuckin' asshole." He grumbled as he buttoned up his shirt. It was black. He looked really good in black. He threw on the vest, scowling.

"I know, but Merle and Sophia are right. We have to just endure it for a little while." There was a breathy note to her voice that she tried to mask as she watched him but there was nothing she could do about it.

He looked up, still angry, but then he smirked. "You really thinkin' bout that now, woman?"

She groaned. How did he just _know_?

The anger left his eyes when he approached her. She was still standing with her back pressed to the door. Her hands instantly went to his shoulders as his eyes met hers. The smirk faded.

"How much time?" He asked, voice husky and low.

"Thirty minutes." She whispered, wandering how he could have such an effect on her still, like she hadn't been with him yet, anticipation turning her insides to fire. She didn't even realize what she was doing until she had his shirt unbuttoned and then was pushing it off his shoulders. His eyes stayed locked on hers.

"Thirty minutes." He repeated.

She nodded and then sucked in a sharp breath when his hands went to the button of her jeans and then pulled her with him as he walked backwards towards the bed. "He said to not be late." She whispered.

"Mmm hmm. And I say he can go fuck himself." he growled as he hooked his thumbs into her waistband and pushed the jeans down her hips, never breaking that intense gaze he had on her eyes.

"We're suppose to be good for now." She breathed as his lips met that spot below her ear that always caused her to melt, not that she wasn't doing enough of that already.

"It'll be good, woman." He whispered right before his teeth grazed her earlobe. His hands slid up her back, his fingers rough and familiar.

She didn't see any point in stopping. Her lips met his damp shoulder as her hands found his pants already undone even though she couldn't recall his hands ever leaving her. He didn't need much urging to lose the pants. For two people pressed for time he didn't seem to be in much of a hurry as he sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling her down with him as soon as she had her jeans kicked off. She didn't much care at the moment as she pushed him down onto his back. It wasn't often he gave up any kind of control, so when he did it was a treat. He didn't give it up lightly.

She raised her hips and finally he broke his gaze and looked down just as she lowered herself onto him. His eyes widened, pupils darkening, breath coming out in a low hiss between parted lips. she couldn't take her eyes off his face as she moved, slow and easy, over him. He folded his arms under his head and watched. This was a surprise. Even the few times she was in control he still kept his hands on her, like he couldn't completely let go. He kept his eyes downcast and there was something about him watching that was driving her crazy. Something about him handing over that power that had her nearly gasping for breath already. She watched his face, he bit his lip, and just the sight of his teeth sinking lightly into that soft flesh had her reeling. She hated to admit it. She really did, but she needed him. He knew her like a book, knew every little move to make to get the greatest reaction from her. She didn't want control anymore, she wanted him to take it back, and bring her to that place only he could take her.

His eyes shot up and met hers and then he grinned. He knew exactly what she needed. She would gladly give up that little bit of control. He raised up faster than she expected, that grin still in place as he rolled her onto her back. As soon as she felt his hot tongue slide lazily against hers she nearly cried out and then he was moving, his mouth never leaving hers. He started out slow and easy and then increased his speed at that crucial moment. She heard him chuckle low in his throat as her body started building up for the release that she knew was so close. He always knew when she was close, and this time was no different. His mouth left hers as soon as she was about to go over that edge that she was now so familiar with, although it was different every time.

He moved his lips next to her ear. "Come on woman, clocks tickin'."

That low smooth voice was always what undid her. Every single time and he knew it. As soon as her legs locked around his waist she heard him chuckle low in his throat.

"That's my girl." he crooned right before his teeth sank into her neck, causing her to gasp again as she was swept away on the tide, that sweet intensity that was bordering on pain. The only indication that he was joining her was the heat that seemed to be filling her and the quickening of his breath on her neck.

He kissed his way back up to her mouth before moving away from her. She hated that they had to leave. She could have stayed with him like that for the rest of her life and wouldn't have cared a bit. But they had things to do and places to be. She grudgingly watched him get dressed again as she did the same. Later. There was always later.

He kissed her one more time before they left their room, then he put on his take no shit, scowl.

Now, standing in front of Philip she could still taste him on her lips but all thoughts of sex were completely gone. Morgan was there, but she expected that. The rest of her group were there also, which made her feel a little better. Apparently the men would be trained on the wall. Like they needed to be trained how to stand there and wait for something to come along to shoot. She thought this was all a little ridiculous.

Hershel and Milton were actually excited about their job. Or at least were really good at pretending to be excited. They had the task of organizing and cataloging all of the medical supplies so they could start running a real medical facility for the town.

Dale was to meet with a few other men that no one else in the group had met yet to see about helping tend to the greenhouse. He seemed to warm up to the idea pretty quickly.

They had other things in mind for the women. Carol, Andrea and Maggie were to help out where they prepared food to freeze in the walk in freezers in what had been a large diner towards the center of town. Beth and Amy were to go help out at the school.

"Where is the other one. That older boy that was with you last night?" Philip finally asked as he came around his desk.

Everyone looked around. "Haven't seen him." Daryl spoke before any of the others could. "He ain't much a member of this group. He was just a tag along. He should be here somewhere though." He shrugged.

"Martinez?" Didn't you wake them up this morning? Did you see him?" Philip asked.

"I figured he was bunking with someone else." He shrugged.

Philip's cool facade faltered a bit. His eyes grew hard, his smile stilled on his lips. Carol unconsciously took Daryl's hand. He used it to pull her closer and put an arm around her.

"I saw him last night, but I haven't seen'em this mornin'." Maggie was the one that spoke up this time. Philip fixed that warm smile as soon as he glanced at her. His gaze lingered for far too long before he spoke and Carol could see the waves of tension radiating off of Merle. This was hard for him. Very hard. She just had to hope he would take his own advice and not try to kill the man right here on the spot.

"Well," Philip said as he cleared his throat, still never taking his eyes off Maggie, "I'm sure it isn't something we need to worry about just yet."

Maggie wasn't blind to the way the man looked at her and she pressed herself further into Merle's side. Merle kept his mouth shut but that angry muscle in his jaw was clenching much like Daryl's did when he was really angry about something.

"Well, now that you all know what's expected of you today I hope you enjoy yourselves out there. And let me know if your friend shows up." Philip sat back down behind his desk, dismissing everyone.

When they walked out Carol finally let go of Daryl's hand and cupped the side of his face. He was tense as he looked at her. "Remember, Daryl." She said quietly. "Whatever happens, do not act normal. What passes for normal for you anyway." She winked.

He tried but he couldn't fight the smile. "You're an asshole."

"I learned from the master." She said right before she kissed him and then pushed him away. "Go to work, Dixon." She called over her shoulder as she fell in step with Maggie and Andrea.

~H~

Sophia sat there with her elbows propped up on the desk and her chin resting on her hands. She wanted to leave. She had always liked school before. This wasn't like before. There was no Ed to avoid, her mom had no bruises that she didn't want to look at. She wanted to be with Daryl and Merle, plotting some sort of crusade to save their group from that creepy bastard. But no. instead she had to act like she was interested in this no nothing asshole that was making absolutely no sense.

She glanced over at Carl. He was scribbling in a notebook. When he glanced over at her he sat up straighter and turned the notebook so she could see the page he had been working on. In big bubble letters he had written, '_THIS SUCKS...'_

She had to stifle a laugh. When she glanced at the seat to her other side she wasn't surprised to see Duane with his head down on his desk, eyes closed, mouth partially open, sound asleep.

The lady, Sophia had forgotten her name as soon as she was introduced, who was suppose to be teaching them cleared her throat loudly. "Would you mind waking your friend up?" She snapped, looking right at Sophia.

Sophia nodded and then slapped him hard in the back of the head. He shot up in his seat, wiping the drool off the corner of his mouth with his shirt sleeve.

There were six other kids in the class and they were all staring at the three of them now. It had been like that since they entered the room this morning. The woman, Sophia refused to call her a teacher since she looked to be no older than Beth, had been flashing them dirty looks. They hadn't done anything to deserve the scrutiny so it was getting really irritating. She was surprised to see that most of the dirty looks weren't really directed towards all three of them, only her. She had always done good in school. Never got in trouble and always kept her grades up. But she couldn't take this seriously. Even though she basically hated it, she still tried to pay attention to the crap that was coming out of the woman's mouth.

Carl and Duane were the two that weren't even trying to even _seem_ interested. But still the narrowed eyes landed on her. She rolled her own eyes and settled down further into her seat. This was such crap. This lady didn't know what the hell she was talking about anyway. She was just playing her role in trying to make this creepy town seem more normal.

"Is there some sort of problem, Miss Dixon?" The woman snapped.

There it was. She said the name Dixon like it was a dirty word. She thought Sophia was Daryl's daughter and she had probably been informed about the way Merle and Daryl had acted since coming here. She probably figured the apple didn't fall far from the tree. In this case, she was right. But Sophia had to keep herself in check. She noticed Carl and Duane glancing at one another over her head.

"No, ma'am." Sophia said after several deep calming breaths.

"That's good to hear. I've been told about the stunts you like to pull. I wont be having any of that in this classroom. We aren't a bunch of savages here. We are human beings and this is a real community. You should be ashamed of yourself for the way you acted towards the Governor. You're lucky he took you people in at all."

"Breath!" Carl whispered. "Just breath and nod."

Sophia nodded after taking another deep breath. She had to do this for her group. She didn't have a choice but to pretend to fit in here. Soon she could leave and wouldn't have to worry about it until tomorrow.

The look the woman gave her then was a smug one. She was baiting her and Sophia knew it. She wasn't going to let up on her at all.

"Well, it's good to see that you have less fight in you than your father has." The woman smiled and turned back to the dry erase board she had been writing on before she saw that Duane was taking a mid morning nap.

Sophia could feel that everyone in the room was looking at her. She could feel the blood pounding in her ears and she could feel that her hands were shaking on the desk top. She pulled them away and put them in her lap.

She let the storm rage on inside as the woman droned on and on. She wasn't even sure what she was saying. She could have been talking to her but she couldn't hear her words. This was how Daryl and Merle felt. Getting judged by others when the person doing the judging didn't even know them. When she looked over at Carl he was glaring at the woman. Duane too was eying her with narrowed eyes. At least she had them. It gave her a little comfort.

~H~

Merle watched the men carefully. This all seemed like a real waste of time to him. They weren't given guns, which he wasn't surprised, but they still had to stand around and act like they were making themselves useful. They all stood on the wall like a bunch of morons doing absolutely nothing. And just his luck, all four men that him and his brother had been forced to fight last night were there. They all looked pretty bad except for the one that Daryl had nailed in the dick. He looked fine until he started walking.

They explained to them what they were suppose to do. Which was basically stand there and wait for something to happen.

"What happens when a live one wonders up?" Merle asked casually. He still wanted to know how the hell that woman that the kids found last night had managed to get herself shot. Morgan said the only thing he was told was that she was a danger to the town and needed to be 'taken care of'.

Martinez, who looked about as bad as a man could look, had glared at him. "We get the Governor. That's what." His speech wasn't what it had been. That jaw must have been bothering him something awful.

Merle just nodded, like that was a fine idea. What he wanted to do was ask the bunch of pussies if any of them took a piss without asking the _Governor_ if they were allowed to go. But he didn't. If there was any time for self control it was now.

"Ya'll see a lot of people stumblin' onto this place?" Daryl asked as he adjusted his bow. He had at least been able to keep that. Merle figured it was because it would take Daryl longer to load it than it would take someone else to shoot him.

Martinez was really glaring now, but it was the big guy with the bruised dick who answered. He didn't seem to have held a grudge like his friend did. "Nah. Usually when we do it's just some loner lookin' for shelter for a night or so." The men shared a few small smiles.

It was enough for Merle and Daryl to confirm what they suspected. Those men probably didn't live long enough to spin any tails of Woodbury. Merle shared a look with Rick and his brother. T-dog and Glen had been taken to do patrols around the perimeter. No one else brought up Randal so that was a good thing.

"You folks ready for some lunch?"

Merle looked down and saw Philip standing there with his hands on his hips looking up at them. At least they got lunch breaks. That was a plus. Merle and Daryl were the first two that jumped down from the wall. Philip approached them with a wide smile.

"How do you boys like it here so far?" He asked as he clapped Merle on the shoulder.

Merle nodded appreciatively and then rolled his shoulders, muscles flexing under the mans hand. He removed the hand but kept the smile in place. "You know, after last night I think I get you a little better, Governor. I think my brother and I are gonna get along in this place just fine." He smirked.

Philip's grin widened. "That's real good to here, Merle. I've been hopin' all mornin' that the two of you would come around. I need men like you and him. The others, they serve a purpose and all, good strong men. But men like you and Daryl here, you're the type of men I _need._" the three of them were walking apart from the rest of them so the other men couldn't hear what was being said. That was probably a good thing.

"You got some sort of plan for me and my brother here, Governor?" Merle asked sounding like he was really interested in what this freak had to say. He had to admit to himself that he was happy with the way this was going. It was happening faster than he thought it would. Ol' Philip must be pretty desperate.

"Don't get me wrong, all of my men are good at what they do. But as you can see they're lacking in some aspects. I can't watch them all the time. I need someone that can lead them. Keep them in line. You understand what I mean? I saw something in you yesterday. Something that could prove to be very valuable here."

"Is that right?" Merle asked as the diner that Carol and Maggie were working in came into view.

"Yes. You can get certain things done that I can't trust the others to do."

"The fuck kinda _things _you talkin' about?" Daryl asked, looking like he was having a rougher time than Merle at playing his role as a calm man accepting these new developments.

Merle shot him a look that Daryl ignored.

Philip shrugged. "For now, I just need a few good men that I can trust to keep an eye on the others. But that doesn't just mean my own men, that means yours as well. They seem to be a lot better today. Less suspicious, but I'd still like someone to watch them. Make sure they don't do anything stupid that gets the rest of you hurt."

Merle shrugged. "Sounds pretty easy if you ask me."

Philip grinned. "Not just easy Merle. I think you two are going to end up enjoying what I have in store for you. I'm a pretty good judge of character, you two are the men I need."

Merle and Daryl shared one more meaningful look and before they entered the diner.

~H~

Carol had actually been enjoying herself all morning. She got to work right along with Andrea and Maggie up until about fifteen minutes ago when the other two had been sent down the street to deliver food to the school. She was worried how Sophia and the boys would handle that. It did seem a little silly to be teaching them history and math and English in the middle of an apocalypse, but they had agreed to play their part to fit in. She hoped they were okay.

She looked up from a pot she was stirring and couldn't keep from grinning when she spotted Daryl. His eyes locked on hers and he smiled back but he didn't look happy. She hadn't expected him too, but she hadn't seen him in hours and as pathetic as it sounded she couldn't stand to be away from him. Maggie and Andrea had been feeling the same way. What a strange world. So many odd couples in one group, it made her laugh a little.

He sat down with Merle at one of the far tables as Philip stood next to them, talking for a few more minutes. When he turned to leave he looked up and his eyes met hers. She smiled and gave the son of a bitch a small wave. She really didn't like that man. But they all had a part to play. He walked out and the tension in the room dispersed a bit.

The temperature was still cold outside but in here it was nearly sweltering. They prepared a lot of food to freeze and the steam from the stoves and ovens were burning her up. She had lost her sweater, but even in the tank top she felt sweaty.

"How about I take over for a few minutes. You can go feed your people." An older woman offered with a smile.

Carol gladly handed her the ladle she had been stirring the pot with and thanked her. Merle and Daryl were deep in conversation and didn't notice her coming when she felt a gentle hand on her arm. She almost expected to see Rick or Dale, someone from her own group. She dropped the smile as soon as she saw that it was Martinez.

He glanced towards the table to make sure neither Dixon had noticed him with her and then he was eying her once more.

"What can I do for you?" She asked brusquely.

"Didn't think you'd ever ask sweetheart. Where should I start?" He smirked and it looked almost painful. His grip tightened on her arm.

She glared at him, which only caused his smile to broaden. "He notices that hand and he's going to do a lot more to you than mess that face of yours up, Martinez." She growled.

He narrowed his eyes. "You just remember, honey. There are a lot more ways of getting back at that man of yours than just fighting him." He swept his gaze once more down to her damp shirt front. "Ways you might find out you like."

Carol understood that they had to blend in. She understood that they had to keep themselves from sticking out like sore thumbs. She also understood that if they messed up too much then their chances of getting out, or taking the town, would be slim. But she also, in that moment, understood her daughter. She felt anger come alive inside her chest like a serpent. Her whole life she had been weak. She had been a victim. She had bowed down to men like this. And then Daryl changed that. Showed her that she was worth so much more than that. Showed her what it meant to mean everything to another person. And this man was a threat to her new found freedom and suddenly she saw red. Literally, there was a haze around her vision as the man smirked at her, looking down on her as if she was nothing but a means for revenge.

She didn't think. She simply acted and then she got it. Sophia, Daryl, Merle, even the boys. She knew why they did this impulsive stuff. It felt good. She wretched her arm away from him, not even feeling the pain as his fingers dug into her skin, and then her knee came up swiftly, landing solidly into his groin. As soon as her knee made contact she shoved him away from her. He hit the floor hard, clutching himself. And she wasn't finished. She stormed towards him until she felt a strong arm go around her waist. She knew he had came in with his men and instantly figured that one of them had grabbed her. She spun around and was about to try to hit the man that grabbed her when she found herself looking into familiar blue eyes.

"Merle, let me go." She growled as she turned back around to go after Martinez once more.

His grip around her waist however was unbreakable. Merle was bigger than Daryl, and he wasn't prone to putting up with her shit. When she tried to break away from him he simply stood up taller, lifting her so her feet were dangling a few inches off the floor.

"Calm, your ass down, darlin'." He hissed into her ear before he sat her down, his arm was still holding her against him though, he wasn't letting go.

It didn't matter anymore. That anger had vanished just as quick as it had appeared. She actually leaned against him as she watched Daryl standing over Martinez, hands on his hips, scowl on his face. Merle loosened his grip but kept his arm around her.

"The fuck did you do to her, you piece of shit?" Daryl asked between clenched teeth.

"Daryl." She said, her voice steady.

He glanced up, his hard eyes meeting hers. "What'd he do?" He asked angrily.

She sighed. She wasn't about to tell him what the man had said. She knew that he was holding on by a thin thread and he would lose it if she told him that he had basically threatened her. So she gave an excuse that any true Dixon would understand. "He pissed me off." She said, raising her chin.

She felt Merle's hard chest rumble against her back with a quiet laugh and even Daryl blinked a few times as he registered what she had said. He had used the same excuse a million times and it seemed to pacify him for now. She figured he'd have a million questions later but later she would have time to calm him down.

"When is your stupid ass gonna learn, Martinez?" Merle said suddenly. "You fuck with my family and your ass either gets a gun pulled on ya or ya get that ass kicked." He laughed as he let her go. "You're about a dumb son of a bitch, aint'cha?"

Daryl just shook his head and gave a hard look to the men that had been standing around watching. "Ya'll got a fuckin' problem?" He asked.

To Carol's surprise the men shook their heads and walked away, some of them, however, gave her a few approving looks.

She walked with Merle and Daryl back to their table. "I'll bring you guys some food." She muttered as she leaned against Daryl's side.

Merle was grinning. "You're the one that snapped?" He said in a low voice as he shook his head. "Out of all of us, _you_ are the one that lost your cool. I'm impressed. I really am."

Carol gave him a dry smile. "Figured it was about time to embrace your name sake Merle. Can't be having people wondering whether or not I'm worthy of a Dixon. You boys have a reputation to uphold." She winked as Merle's rumbling laugh filled the room.

**And Carol goes Dixon on his ass! I loved that part ;)**


	86. Chapter 86

**These chapters are getting longer. I noticed that the other day. I hope you are liking that cause there is nothing I can do about it now XD! Quick question for any of you who may know. Does it ever mention what Carol's maiden name is in the show? I've watched the first two season's a million times and I can't remember ever hearing it. I need to know for my next story so it is kind of important. So, any help would be greatly appreciated =) If not then any suggestions you got, I'll take. I was thinking Mason. It just came to me while I was in the shower (most of my better ideas do) and then when I sat down I thought about it again and then I was like, "Crap! What the hell?" Because Mason/Dixon. Like the Mason Dixon line. Duh! So, my subconscious is trying to do cutesy things or something and I'm just not sure about all that. Sometime's my subconscious just can't be trusted. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one! I love you for the reviews! You're all the greatest! =) Have a great morning!**

Chapter Eighty Six

Daryl was tired. He was tired of keeping his mouth shut. He was tired of acting like being around Philip's men didn't make him sick. He was tired of watching Sophia walk out the door every morning with her head down and her eyes far away. He was ready to leave. Fuck the town. They weren't any closer to killing the son of bitch now than they were when they had gotten there four days ago.

Merle had become the go to guy when Philip needed something enforced. It was weird to see Merle embracing the role like it was what he was born to do. Barking orders at the other men, including there own. Daryl knew he was just playing a role but it was one that Merle obviously enjoyed. A lot. Especially when he was able to jump Rick's shit for one reason or another. Then when he was finished giving him hell he would wink like it was all part of the game.

Martinez made it a point to stay away from all of them, apparently he had learned his lesson the day Carol had kicked his balls up into the back of his throat. He still laughed inside when he thought about it. She was changing. Slowly but surely she was becoming a force to be reckoned with, not taking shit from anyone. Even Merle, who thought it would be fun to boss her around a bit with his new found authority. She'd look him in the eye and tell him to fuck off.

The kids had came to them last night, worried about Randal and Michonne. Apparently they had told the duo that the group would be back for them in a few days. It had already been four and they were getting there, but it would still take more time before anything could happen.

Philip was still a little leery about handing over any guns to him and Merle. They hadn't earned his trust just yet but they all had an idea of how that could be fixed. They just couldn't rush anything. Rushing things would draw suspicion.

There own guns were hidden away in the ceiling of T-dogs room. The drop tiles were easily removed, giving them quick access in case they needed them quickly, although none of them thought they would. They were becoming less of an oddity, the only person still having a difficult time, to his dismay, was Sophia. Duane had let it slip that the girl silently sat through the day, taking shit from the woman who was suppose to be teaching them and the other kids that were in the so called class.

He had told her that she didn't have to go. It wasn't a rule or anything, but she insisted that she play her part. She said it would get better but it wasn't. He had half a mind to go in there and snatch that bitch teacher wanna be up by the hair and throw her around a bit. He didn't hit women. Never had in his whole life, but he would sure as hell make an exception over Sophia. And besides, who says throwing a woman out a window was the same as hitting anyway? He knew he wouldn't, but he could always wish he could. He was surprised the girl hadn't went the hell off herself.

He was jerked out of his reverie by an annoyed looking Merle.

"He wants us to organize a few of the men to go out and look for survivors today." Merle growled.

"He want us to go with'em?" Daryl asked hopefully.

Merle shook his head glumly. "Not this go round little brother."

Daryl glanced around quickly to make sure that no one else was within ear shot. "I just don't see him trustin' us anytime soon, brother. I'm ready to get the fuck outta here."

Merle shook his head, his eyes growing hard. "I'm takin' this goddamn town. It's too fuckin' good to just leave. Not to mention, he's got more guns, more men and more vehicles than we got. We sneak off and that mother fucker is gonna find us and we'll all be dead. We're gittin' there. Just give it more time."

Daryl ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sick as fuck of this place, Merle." He hissed. "Them kids and that bitch wont cut Sophia any slack cause they think she's a Dixon. The kid's miserable."

Merle glared. "Why ain't she done somethin' about it?"

Daryl gave him an exasperated look. "Cause she wants to lay low and coast along until we can get outta here."

"We ain't goin' back out on that road." Merle growled.

"Well, we ain't fuckin' stayin' much longer if we don't get rid of these fuckers."

They glared at each other for a while and then Merle finally looked away. "Where getting close. Just give it some more time."

"You ain't..." Daryl wasn't even sure he could finish the question.

"Ain't what?" Merle growled, glaring at him once again.

Daryl ran his hands through his hair once more. "You ain't startin' to like this shit are ya? You know, all this authority that you get to throw around? You seem to be enjoyin' yourself a little more than you should."

Merle took a step closer, nostrils flaring. "What the fuck are you sayin', boy? That I'd turn my back on you?"

Daryl watched his face carefully. "I'm just sayin' that you don't seem to be in much of a hurry."

Merle rubbed the back of his neck and looked away once more. "You want the truth?" he said in a low voice.

"Yeah, I do, Merle."

"This is a sweet deal, baby brother. Right the fuck up my ally. That's the truth. Maybe if I woulda' ended up here, if Sophia had never found me that day or I woulda stayed on the road and got found by these bastards, I'd be okay with this set up. I ain't gonna lie. This is like paradise to man like me."

"Mother fuck, Merle." Daryl groaned. He felt dread settle low in his gut.

Merle shook his head. "But I got found, baby brother. You took me to that farm and I lost myself. Had to build myself back up and I think I left out a few key pieces of who I was. That kid wormed her way in and then Maggie..." He blew out a heavy breath and met Daryl's eyes once more, "I ain't the same man I was. You ain't got shit to worry about when it comes to me, alright? I ain't gonna pretend like I deserve what I got now, but I'm gonna try like a mother fucker to keep it, you hear me? For as long as I can anyway."

Daryl wasn't even sure what to say about all that. Merle wasn't one to show any kind of feelings, hell, he wasn't either, so he mostly just started feeling uncomfortable. But he was glad to hear it. More than glad. Merle finally looked away again. And then the last thing he said sunk in.

"Merle?" Daryl muttered before Merle could jump back down from the wall.

Merle turned, looking like he really just wanted to bolt. "Yeah."

"You know, Maggie..."

"Don't wanna hear it." Merle said as he held up a hand.

Daryl nodded. He really did understand. Merle was a fearless man when it came to most things, but Daryl could see the turmoil behind his brothers eyes when he thought about the girl. Merle loved her and it scared him to death. Daryl was a lot more quick to embrace something like that than Merle was. But Daryl didn't ever have it as bad as Merle had. Merle was in a lot worse shape than Daryl had been in.

"I'll see ya later." Daryl said, letting the man off the hook.

Merle nodded and then turned but not before Daryl saw the sorrowful look that crossed his face right before he jumped down from the wall.

~H~

It was lunch time. This was the only thing that she had to look forward too other than leaving the stupid building that they used as a school. She was able to sit between the boys, in silence, and eat her food in relative peace. At least that was how things had gone until now.

Duane had tried to coax a conversation out of her as soon as they had sat down but she just didn't feel like talking. Not just here either. She didn't have much to say at all anymore. She just wanted to get through the day with her mouth shut. If she started talking now she wasn't going to stop until she was screaming at every other person in the room. She hated these people and she hated this place.

She had gone to Merle about it, not wanting to bother her mom and Daryl, who had their own problems. Merle had told her that it wouldn't be much longer now but every day anymore seemed like a week. She had to sit there in stony silence while the other kids talked and whispered about her. Her mom hadn't made life any easier on her since she decided to kick Martinez in the nuts the other day. Not that she wasn't proud. When she had heard what her mom had done she had wanted to squeal like an idiot with joy. But she hadn't been able to enjoy it much after word got around.

Today had been no different than any other miserable day so far. The only thing she could take any solace from was that she wasn't alone here. She had Carl and Duane and without them she would have jumped the wall and ran screaming into the woods by now. This place was really driving her crazy.

"How's it goin' Dixon?"

A friendly sounding voice had her looking up from her tray. It was a boy that was a year or two older than her. He was apparently the ring leader of the other kids in this class. And he was usually the one that spoke about her loud enough for her to hear. Things about her mom and Daryl and even Merle and Maggie. She ignored it. She absorbed it all, filed it away, and waited for the day to be over.

She looked back down at her tray, not feeling hungry anymore at all. She just had to keep calm. Even in Woodbury there were weekends and after today she was going to have a two day break. She just had to keep her eyes down and her mouth shut.

"What? You don't have anything to say? You know, people probably wouldn't think you were such a psycho freak if you actually spoke to us."

Her eyes flicked up and narrowed at the boy. Duane and Carl were glaring at him but he wasn't paying any attention to them. He was focused on her.

"Maybe you should take your ass back to your table, Trey." Duane said in a quiet voice.

Sophia wasn't even aware that Carl and Duane new the names of any of the other kids. When she looked beyond the boy she noticed Ms. Juarez staring in there direction with a small smile on her face. She had finally remembered the woman's name.

"I wasn't talking to you kid. I was talking to the mute here." Trey smiled when Sophia met his gaze once more.

Just keep your mouth shut and eat your food, Sophia. She thought to herself. She was being baited, just like she got baited every day. It wasn't any different. It would be over soon enough.

"So, what's it like?" He asked with a smile. "You know, having psycho parents and all." He laughed when her eyes flicked back up to him. "We figured that was the reason you were so weird."

"Leave her alone." Carl snapped as he glared at the boy.

"Calm down." Trey grinned. "I'm not bothering your little girlfriend here, am I, Dixon?"

She forced herself to smile. She felt sick. All she wanted to do was leave. Daryl told her that she didn't have to keep coming here. He'd nearly begged her to not come this morning. Even offered to let her go with him. But she had told him that she had to do her part, just like he was doing.

"See?" Trey said, smiling back. His smile was malicious.

"To answer your question, it feels pretty good to have psycho parents." She said quietly. She was telling herself to shut her mouth but apparently her mouth had other plans. "I've learned a lot."

"You know," He said with a sneer, "If the Governor was smart he'd have already gotten rid of them. You too. People like you don't belong in a place like this. You belong right out there." He gestured towards the window with a nod of his head.

"Is that right?" She nearly whispered.

He leaned forward on the table. "That's right." His face was less than a foot away from hers.

"How's it taste, Trey?" She asked.

He frowned. "How does what taste, freak?"

She was quick. Before she could put too much thought into it she stood up out of her chair, grabbed the tray of food and smashed it into Trey's unsuspecting face.

Other than Trey's startled cry, the room grew eerily quiet, and then suddenly erupted in chaos. Mr. Juarez was on her in an instant, yanking her towards the door, Carl and Duane were right behind her. She yanked her arm out of the angry woman's grip and then faced her, eyes flashing fiercely.

"I can show myself out." She snapped.

"Who do you think you are!" The woman screeched.

"She's someone that's tired of your shit lady." Duane growled as he walked past them towards the door. "Let's go Sophia."

Carl was right behind her and he gave her a small push. She followed Duane out the door.

~H~

Carol was slicing up some vegetables when she heard Andrea curse under her breath.

"Cut yourself again?" Maggie asked as she leaned into the counter, peering over at Andrea's bleeding finger.

Andrea just nodded. She already had band-aids on two of her fingers.

"You know, sometimes I think you cut yourself on purpose just so you got an excuse to go see Milton." Maggie grinned as she handed Andrea a dry cloth.

Andrea rolled her eyes. "Not true. But it is a good idea. I might start playing sick. My man is a lot busier than you're rough necks." She winked at Carol. "A lot friendlier looking too." She said dryly as Merle stormed through the door.

His eyes scanned the room until they landed on Maggie. The girl grinned and actually hopped over the counter to greet the man. Carol and Andrea both just shook their heads.

"You know, if I didn't know any better I would say Merle Dixon is in love." Andrea whispered.

Carol looked back up and saw him grin as Maggie threw her arms around his neck. She'd never get used to it. Not if she lived a million years. But it was the truth. "Just don't say that to him." She whispered back. "He'd have a fit. Merle don't believe in stuff like that."

She glanced at Andrea, who was still holding the rag to her bleeding finger and laughed. "Go see Milton about that cut. There isn't anyone here anyway. I'll finish these up."

"You sure?" Andrea said with a grin.

Carol nodded and watched as Andrea did the same thing Maggie had done. She launched herself over the counter and rushed past Merle and Maggie. She went back to cutting. She was used to ignoring the couple. They were the only three in the whole place at the moment but by the looks of them one would think they were only two people left alive. Maggie wasn't shy at all when it came to showing her affection and Merle just flat out didn't give a crap what other people thought about anything anymore. Let alone what they thought of him kissing Maggie.

Everything had calmed down for her over the last few days. If it wasn't for _knowing_ that they were under a constant threat from Philip, she would have actually been enjoying herself in this place. They had a real good system going. Food and shelter were abundant, threats were limited from anything outside the walls. The only threat was from Philip and his men here on the inside but hopefully that wouldn't be a problem for too much longer. Merle was working on a plan to oust the man. And by oust him Merle meant kill him. But there were about twenty others that would surely gun down anyone that touched the man. So they were all still lying as low as they could and trying their best to convince Philip that they were embracing everything about the town and how he ran it.

Someone bursting through the door nearly caused her to cut her own finger. She looked up and was met by the angry glare of her daughter. Merle and Maggie managed to break apart from one another so they could both openly gape at the three kids.

"It wasn't her fault." Duane said before anyone could even ask what was going on.

"What wasn't her fault?" Merle asked, instantly sounding as angry as Sophia looked.

"She hit Trey Thompson in the face with her lunch." Carl grumbled as he sat down heavily in one of the booths.

"You what?" Carol asked, coming around the counter. "Why?"

"They've been tormenting her every damn day. Today was just worse." Duane said as he slid into the booth across from Carl.

Carol felt bad for her. She had been trying so hard to do the right thing and everyone could tell that she was miserable. She was losing steam and the anger on her face was quickly turning into something else. Like she was ashamed of herself for what she had done.

Merle searched Sophia's face for a long time. Carol knew he saw the same thing she was seeing. Her life here was just as bad as it had been on the road. It was just different. "That's it." Merle growled after a few long moments of silence. He headed towards the door.

"Merle, let it go." Sophia said firmly.

He spun around, his mouth set in a grim line and his flashing angrily. "I've been lettin' it go, girl. It's about time somebody said somethin' to that bitch."

Carol was with Merle this time. Normally she would have told him to drop it too but there was laying low and then there was putting up with bullshit. And this was bullshit. But she also knew that it wasn't place.

"Merle, wait." She said as he was about to leave the diner. "I need to go. Maggie, you take over for a little while."

"Mom, no. That isn't gonna help anything." Sophia pleaded.

"Hell yeah. Kick her one good time for me, Carol." Merle said as he walked away from the door.

"Mom, please." Sophia said as she stood in front of her, blocking her path.

Carol was furious. Carl and Duane had both told her that Sophia never did anything wrong. She had done nothing to deserve the other kids ridicule or that sorry excuse for a teacher's unveiled intolerance of Sophia being there. It was because of Daryl and herself that Sophia had to suffer through the day in that place.

"Fine." Carol said, exasperation clear in her tone.

"What?" Merle roared from behind the counter where he was now helping Maggie.

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at her daughter. "I'll keep out of it. But you're done. You aren't going back, you got it?"

Sophia looked like she was about to argue but then, after looking at Carol's face, she finally nodded.

She turned and headed towards the door, both boys scurrying out of the booth to follow her but she held up a hand. "I'll see you guys later, okay? Maybe you should head back. You're parents are making you go, remember?"

Carol's heart nearly broke for the girl. Duane and Carl looked like they were going to follow her anyway but then decided against it. She would surely be fine. She just needed time to think about things.

~H~

Merle watched Sophia walk out of the diner and he clenched his fist in anger. The girl was trying harder than anyone else and she just couldn't catch a break. It was time something happened. He was putting this off because he was turning into a pussy. He kept thinking that it would get easier after Philip put a little more trust in him and he had access to more guns. But the waiting was over. He wouldn't risk everyone else. He would do this with his brother. It could be quick and clean if they played this just right. The rest of them wouldn't even have to know it was happening.

It wasn't just Sophia either. He couldn't stand the way the man looked at Maggie. It was like he could see the wheels turning in his head every time she was in the same room with him. He was going to end up hurting her if they didn't make a move soon.

Maggie wouldn't admit it but she was scared. He could see it on her face when Philip would look at her. He saw the flash of fear in her eyes every time he had to go off and do something for the bastard. When would Philip send Merle off on some errand just so he could get his hands on her. He couldn't let that happen. She had just got done telling him that the man had been there earlier. Not eating or drinking anything or socializing. He was just watching her. It was one of the only times she had ever actually expressed her fear to him. If she was telling him about it then she was more scared now than she had been so far. The man wasn't going to scare her again.

Maggie looked up, like she could sense the tension he was feeling. She put the knife down and turned so her back was too the counter, she watched him. He wouldn't look at her. He just kept his eyes trained on the door that Sophia had disappeared through.

"Merle? What is it?" She whispered.

Carol came back around and shook her head. She continued chopping without saying a word but Merle could see the worry etched on her face. It was a lot like the look he had seen on his brothers face earlier. He had to do something about that.

He finally turned to Maggie, her eyes were wide and watchful as she studied his face. The girl was getting good at reading him. He kissed her quickly and then without a word he walked away. He could feel her eyes on him the whole time. If he said anything she would know instantly that he was about to do something. Something big.

His stride was long as he headed down the sidewalk. The only person that needed to know what was going on was his brother. He saw Rick coming around the side of one of the buildings and motioned for him.

"I need you to take the wall for Daryl for a bit." He said quickly.

Rick fell into step beside him. "Everything all right?" He asked suspiciously.

Fucking cops and their bullshit gut instincts. "Everything's fine. Just need to talk to my brother for a minute. You got better things to do or somethin'?" He growled.

Rick shook his head with a grimace. Merle knew he really hated taking orders from him. Too bad for Rick the Governor needed someone with a pair of brass balls and a criminal history. He would have smiled at his own assessment if he didn't feel half sick at the moment.

Merle waited as Rick climbed onto the wall and his brother jumped down after talking to him for a few seconds. Daryl looked as suspicious as Rick and Maggie had as soon as he saw his face.

"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked as he started following Merle towards the building that had been their home for the past four days.

"It's time." Merle grumbled.

"Time?" Daryl asked, narrowing his eyes. "Ain't this somethin' everybody else should be involved in?"

"Nope." Merle muttered as he led his brother down the hall and into T-dogs room.

"We're doin' this shit right now? Just me and you? Are you fuckin' stupid?" Daryl hissed as Merle stood on a chair and pushed up on one of the tiles. He pulled the bag of guns down, handing them to Daryl before fixing the tile back.

"Tonight." Merle said gruffly. "We do this tonight. Me and you. Maybe we wont even need the guns. Not until we get the wall. I know where all these mother fuckers sleep now. Go in quiet, slit their throats while they sleep. It'll be clean and quick."

"Where the hell did all this come from. I thought you wanted to wait. Get more info. Find out where this bastard keeps all the weapons. You know that they got a shit ton that they don't even know we know about. Morgan told us."

"Gotta get it done little brother." Merle said as he started checking the handguns. They were all loaded. He shoved them back into bag and then started checking the rifles. "I thought you were just arguing with me over getting this done sooner."

"I didn't know that you'd get a wild hair up your ass and want to jump the gun _tonight_. We need a fuckin' plan, Merle."

Merle glanced up. "I just told you the plan."

"You're gonna get us killed. You know that, right?" Daryl groaned.

Merle was sick of listening to his brother's shit. He spun around and glared at him. "He wants Maggie. And he'll take her eventually and there wont be shit I'll be able to do about it when he decides to do it cause he'll kill me first. And if you paid closer attention you'd know that Carol is probably in about as much trouble. Martinez is gonna get back at the both of you for the shit ya'll did and he's gonna end up using her to do it."

Daryl just stared at him for a second.

"And Sophia had to smash some kids face in at school. They're fuckin' tormentin' that girl. We do this tonight. Unless you wanna try to run for it. Then all that'll happen is they'll hunt our asses down and kill every fucking one of us."

That was all it took to get Daryl on board. He took the rifle that Merle handed him and went to the door. They would stash them in their rooms for now. Decide on what to take later. Now all they had to do was go back out there and act like everything was normal. That would be pretty easy as long as they stayed the hell away from their own women. Even Merle could see how tense Daryl was. He knew he was the same way and them women would smell it on them. Maggie already had.

This was going to be one long ass day for the Dixon brothers.

**And there you have it. This is the set up for the big stuff. Let me know your thoughts! Sometimes I really do run with your suggestions. XD**


	87. Chapter 87

**I hear a lot of thunder at the moment so I wanted to get this posted in case I lose internet! Sometimes that happens when it storms! Thanks for all the reviews! And you all pretty much confirmed that they never did mention Carol's Maiden name so I am going to make one up. XD A dear friend of mine said I should stick with Mason and since she is such a sweetheart I may just do that (although she did threaten to shoot me in the ass with an arrow recently) ;) I hope you like this chapter! Okay... That was a BIG ol' clap of thunder so I am off to post this! Let me know what you think =)**

Chapter Eighty Seven

When Daryl was finally relieved from the wall for good for the night he had hurried to their room expecting Carol to be there already. When she wasn't Merle's words flashed through his head about Martinez and his plan for revenge. His heart was hammering painfully hard in his chest as he checked the bathroom. She wasn't there either.

He stormed down the hallway like an enraged bull and nearly knocked her on her ass when he turned the corner to go back outside and she was right there. He caught her before she could fall. He blew out a sigh of relief.

"Where the fuck have you been?" He growled as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards their room.

"What the hell, Daryl. What's wrong with you?" She asked.

He slammed the door and then took a good look at her. She must have just gotten back from that stupid diner. Of all the places that moron had her working it was there. How goddamn cliche was that? The redneck's woman working at a diner. Jesus.

"Daryl?" She asked again as she came closer. He hadn't realized he was leaning his back against the door. Like he was going to block her exist with his own body so he would know she wasn't going anywhere.

"Nothin's wrong. Just thought you'd be here when I got back is all." He said casually.

She cocked one eyebrow at him and then came closer. "Somethin's wrong."

Goddamn Merle and his stupid ass spur of the moment plans. Had him all fucking nervous. There was no way he was going to be able to go all night without giving up the plan. She would hound him until he was deaf or until he told her what the fuck was going on. He figured he would skip the bullshit and just break down and spill it all. Maybe he wouldn't look like such a pussy if Maggie beat the information out of Merle too. But there was no way he could keep it from her.

Besides, she would know something was up as soon as he got up to leave. He couldn't even get up to take a piss without her waking up anymore. It had been like that ever since the farm when he had slipped out in the rain and then they had all almost gotten killed.

"No freakin' out alright?" He said quietly as he put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer.

"Daryl, you starting a sentence with the phrase, 'don't freak out', instantly makes me freak out. What the hell is going on with you and Merle?"

So she already knew something was up with Merle too. She was pretty good. Or they really sucked at being sneaky. They were pretty fucked if it was the latter.

"Merle and me are gonna kill about twenty three men tonight." He whispered.

She placed her hands on his chest and smiled. The smile stayed until she looked up and met his eyes and realized that he wasn't joking. Her smile dropped like a stone and her eyes went impossibly wide. "What are you talking about? You and Merle?"

He nodded. "We're gonna get most of'em tonight while they're asleep. Use knives. Philip first just in case somethin' goes wrong we wont have to worry about him. Without him the others are pretty much lost."

"Are you insane!" She hissed. "You'll get yourselves killed, Daryl. No." She shook her head, panic taking hold in her eyes. "You two can't do this. We have to have a plan, we can all do it together."

"This is the plan, Carol. We have to do it now and Merle's right. It'll be quick and clean. In and out until we have to take out the ones on the wall." He said this not just to assure her but to assure himself as well.

He had to look away. The desperate fearful look in her eyes was making his chest ache. He knew how she felt. She probably didn't know it but he did. The thought of him in danger tore at her just as the thought of her in danger did the same to him. But this was why he had to do it. He wasn't as much like his brother as some people thought. He didn't get any sort of thrill from the thought of killing. But this world called for people to step up and do things that they normally wouldn't do. To keep her safe he would kill. He would come in like a coward in the dark and he would kill as many people as he needed to if it would keep her and Sophia safe.

"Daryl, you'll get yourselves killed. You can't do this." She breathed. Her hands were shaking and when he met her eyes they were filled with tears, her cheeks already stained.

He felt his resolve start to crumble in the face of her fear. He brought a hand up to her face and wiped at the tears there. He held her gaze for a long time. Her eyes were pleading. And then something changed in her gaze. A switch turning on, or off, he couldn't tell. She took a deep breath and then nodded. Lifting her head and meeting his eyes now with a steely determination he hadn't seen before.

"I love you." She breathed. "Keep yourself alive."

He blinked in surprise and his hand stilled on her face. "What?"

She kissed him hard and then stepped away from him. "Keep yourself alive."

"I thought..."

She held up a hand. "I have to stop. This has to be done and you and Merle are the only ones that can do this." She wiped away the lingering tears on her face and then straightened up. She was struggling to keep herself composed but he admired her fight. This was more than hard and she was going to face it with dry eyes and hope for the best.

"You know we can do this. You know I'll be fine." He muttered quietly.

"I know you can do this. But I also know that when you walk out that door tonight it very well could be the last time I ever see you. Don't tell me you'll be fine. You don't know what will happen."

She didn't sound angry. There was still a hint of fear in her words but she was fighting that too. She sounded almost reserved. Like she already knew what fate had in store for her and she was trying to accept it. He felt as though she were already burying him in her mind.

"I'm gonna be fine." he growled.

She simply nodded.

There was a loud sharp knock at the door that had them both jumping. He opened it a crack and then it was shoved inward so hard he had to take a few steps back to keep it from slamming into him. Maggie barged in and spun around on Merle, who had followed her into the room.

"Has he told you?" She snapped, eyes flashing towards Carol. "Has he told you that they are going to get themselves killed tonight like a couple of idiots?" She hissed. Her voice was quiet but she delivered them with an intensity that had even Carol's eyes widening.

"He told me." Carol said quietly.

Maggie's eyes instantly filled with tears when she really looked at Carol. "They can't do this."

"They have too." Carol said gently.

"You're okay with this?" She was starting to sound angry again.

Daryl glanced at Merle. He was rubbing the back of his neck again, looking on miserably. He didn't feel so bad for telling Carol now. Merle had obviously had to face the wrath of Maggie Greene.

"There isn't anything we can do about it." Carol said firmly. Daryl couldn't help but flinch a little.

Maggie's eyes met his, desperate and afraid, just like Carol's had been when he had first told her of their plans. "Daryl please, please try to think of another way." Her eyes flew to Merle and she glared at him for a second before meeting Daryl's eyes once more. "Please." She pleaded.

He just shook his head. "We can keep puttin' it off Maggie but the longer we wait the more time they have to hurt either one of you. We can't put it off anymore."

Maggie looked quickly from one face to the other. She looked desperate. "What happens if you two get killed? You know what they'll do to us after they get rid of the men in this group. You know how many men are out there."

Daryl and Merle shook their heads at the same time. "It wont happen. We can do this. You're just scared." Merle argued.

She shook her head. "You idiot! Of course I'm scared! You two are gonna go in there and get yourselves killed. And then me and Carol, Amy, Andrea... _Sophia_! We'll be left facin' those men on our own cause you know they wont stop with you. They'll kill every man in this group."

Merle and Daryl both flinched when she said Sophia's name. She knew that if the Dixon's had a weakness other than her and Carol it was Sophia. "That ain't gonna happen." Daryl growled again feeling like a broken record.

Maggie met his eyes, tears streaming down her face. "It could and you know it."

Daryl could see the wheels in her head spinning. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She was grabbing at anything she could to force them to change their minds but their minds were made up. Carol just watched her sadly, already knowing that no matter what she said they were still going to go through with something that both women considered a suicide mission. But Daryl knew it wasn't. If anyone could pull this stupid half baked plan off it was him and his brother.

"What if I'm pregnant?" Maggie blurted suddenly. "Would you want your baby to grow up without a daddy?"

Daryl could actually see Merle flinch at the words she hissed into his face. He backed up quickly like he could run from what she was saying.

"Jesus Christ, Merle." Daryl groaned. "Are you serious?"

"You ain't." He growled at her but his face showed just enough fear to let Daryl know that there had been at least one slip up on Merle's part. And that dumb bastard took enough condoms to last a normal man a year. He shook his head.

"We'll see." She said stubbornly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Stop." Merle said between clenched teeth. "You're just usin' anything you can to keep me from doin' this."

"You stop. Stop bein' such a dumb ass. And you're right. I'll say whatever i have to until somethin' finally makes you change your mind. You _know_ it's at least a possibility. Say somethin' goes wrong. What would me and the baby do if you got yourself killed?"

"Stop talkin' about fuckin' babies and shit, girl. Jesus! There ain't no baby."

Daryl had to admit that the girl was good. She was fighting dirty and he could see Merle's determination to do this start to crumble. He had obviously not put much thought into something like this but Maggie saw that she was gaining ground and even though it was cruel it was effective. Merle was in the middle of a personal war in his mind at the moment and it was plain on his face. Even Carol was watching him closely.

"Merle?" Daryl's voice was low. "Could she..."

"One fuckin' time! One time! That was it. There ain't no way." He said the words fiercely but he was backing up until he was against the wall. "And it don't fuckin' matter cause ain't nothin' gonna happen. We'll be back before dawn."

"You don't know that." Maggie whispered. "Why does it have to be you?" Her strained voice, even in a whisper, sounded tortured. She was scared to death. "Rick is strong. He can do it. It don't have to be you."

Merle shook his head. "Rick can't do it. I can't trust Rick to do it. He's got Carl and a baby on the way. It's me and Daryl."

"Daryl has Sophia and Carol. You have me and Duane." She spat angrily.

"Duane don't need me. He's got his dad back." Merle argued.

"Bullshit." She nearly yelled. "I _need_ you and you don't even see it."

Daryl felt like he was eavesdropping even though this was all unfolding in his own room. Merle seemed to have forgotten that they were even there. Carol slipped closer to him and he put an arm around her, too fascinated by the scene unfolding to say anything else. He had seen his brother is many different situations and in every one Merle came out the top dog. The one that stood above the rest with his strength but now he seemed to be cowering under this girls gaze. Merle was out of his element and Maggie was relentless.

"Does it scare you that much? You'd just go and die instead of face it?"

"I ain't got no plans to die tonight." Merle growled.

Maggie was about to say something else when another bang at the door had her pressing her lips together tightly.

Daryl opened the door, thankful for the interruption. Carl and Duane were standing on the other side, both had their hands shoved into their pockets and both looked like they may have heard Maggie yelling not long ago.

"What?" Daryl asked when neither of them said anything.

"Is she allowed out?" Duane asked.

Daryl frowned. "The fuck ya talkin' about, boy?"

Carl rolled his eyes like Daryl was slow. "Sophia."

"She isn't here, boys. Go check her room. That's probably where she's been holed up all day." Carol said from behind him.

"We just did. Beth hasn't seen her." Carl said haltingly, worry marring his words.

Daryl frowned. That girl was never alone. She was always in her room with Beth or with the boys. His heart started pounding hard in his chest.

"Maybe she just wanted to be alone after what happened today." Duane said. He was worried too. Daryl could tell by his tone.

"What happened today?" He asked, turning to look at Carol.

Merle answered before anyone else had a chance. "After she busted some boy in the face with her lunch tray she took off by herself."

"She what? And nobody thought to tell me this sooner?" He snapped as he let the boys in and then shut the door behind them.

"I hadn't had a chance." Carol said dryly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Something else came up, remember? I thought she was in her room."

"When was the last time you boys saw her?" Daryl asked as panicked started to set in.

"Right after lunch. We figured the same thing. We thought she would just go to her room. She was pretty down so we figured we'd let her be alone if she wanted." Carl mumbled. "We ain't seen her since. When we didn't find her in her room we thought she'd be here in yours."

Daryl glanced towards the window, where Carol and Merle were now looking. It was damn near dark. No one had seen her since around lunch time.

Maggie had snapped out of her desperate mood for now. She grabbed Merle's hand. "We can start askin' the others."

Merle nodded and gave Daryl a long look before she opened the door. Before they walked out Maggie stopped and turned back to face the room. "You know how upset she's been. Ya'll don't think she would have left do you? Went out the same way they did when they went after the guns?"

Carl and Duane shook their heads. Duane glanced towards the same window. "She never would have left without us. You know that. We either all three do it together or it don't get done. That's how it is with us. Somethings happened."

Carl gave him a sharp look that matched Daryl's. "Don't say that. Not yet. She could be anywhere. It don't mean anythings wrong."

~H~

The first thing she noticed when she woke up was the pain in her head. It felt like someone was drilling a hole in the back of her skull. The second thing she noticed was, when she went to put a hand to the back of her head, she couldn't move her hands. Well, she could move them but not far. They were tied behind her back.

She opened her eyes slowly, squinting as the light sent another sharp pain through her head. Her thought process was slow. It was like she knew she should be freaking out but she wasn't. Not yet anyway. Her thoughts were all muddled, her memory was foggy.

She was in a room. There was a chair a few feet away, facing her own and a tall lamp in the corner. A door was behind the chair. She started registering sounds after a few agonizing minutes. The pain in her head seemed to be lessening and with the dimming of the pain came a rush of fear. She was tied up in a room. The only good thing so far was the fact that she was alone. As long as she was alone there wasn't anyone around that could hurt her.

She heard something behind her. Nothing that sounded threatening. Just a low buzzing sound. She slowly turned her head to the side and looked behind her as much as she could. Her eyes went wide and a whimper escaped her. She was looking at heads. Heads in fish tanks. Dead eyes staring at her, mouths agape.

She turned her head and then fought against her restraints. She felt her gorge rise and had to swallow down the urge to vomit. She heard a strange mewling sound then, like an injured animal and then stilled herself when she realized that the sounds were coming from her own mouth. She needed to keep herself together. She couldn't break down and freak out, even if there were fish tanks full of human heads staring at her back. She couldn't think of that. They couldn't hurt her.

She took a few deep breaths, trying to still her pounding heart. The pain in her head was a dull throb now. Nothing she couldn't handle. She gently tested her bindings. Her wrists were burning a little and she could feel that she was bound by something rough, like rope. Whoever had tied her up had tied her to the back of the chair in a way that made it impossible to stand up without leaning over and taking the chair with her.

She moved her hands around as much as she could but there was no way she was going to get her hands free. Whoever tied her up had done a thorough job of it. She heard a sound coming from somewhere to her left but when she looked all she could see was something that looked like a large grate in the wall. But the longer she studied it she thought she could see something moving inside. She nearly screamed when something actually lunged at the metal, banging off of it and then snarling.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!" She chanted as she once again started mindlessly fighting against the ropes. She knew that sound. There was a Walker in there. There was a Walker that was locked up in this room. A room that had fish tanks full of heads.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to pull her legs up onto the chair, bury her head and bawl like she was just a little girl. But she would not do that. That was something Sophia Peletier would do. And that wasn't who she was. Everyone said that she was a Dixon now and Dixon's weren't pussies. She'd suck it up and get herself out of this. And if she couldn't then at least, once she figured out who had done this to her, she would give them hell before they killed her. They wouldn't have the satisfaction of making her cry.


	88. Chapter 88

**Rainy day here! I love it. As long as it doesn't interfere with my internet connection, anyway. Hope you all like this one. I think some of you will want to kill me after reading this chapter but i promise I will get the next one up today! I try to not make you wait long XD Thank you for all of the reviews! Be gentle with me after you read this! My ego is a fragile thing! I hope you all have a great day =) Much loooove to you all!**

Chapter Eighty Eight

Merle kept an eye on Daryl. The man looked as though he were about half out of his mind and if they weren't careful he would end up getting them all killed.

"She ain't fuckin' here!" He roared in Philips face.

Philip just looked at him patiently. If he was smart he would have backed up but he stood there. "Look, Daryl, I have men scouring the town. She might think she's going to be in trouble for what happened today. She could just be hiding."

Daryl's fists were clenched and finally Merle put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back a little. Philips men were starting to get anxious over Daryl's proximity to their boss.

"She wouldn't have done that." Daryl growled but he let Merle pull him back.

The muscles under Merle's hand were tense and he gave Daryl's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "He's right." Merle said calmly. "She wouldn't have gotten in trouble for what she did today and she knows it. That mouthy little piece of shit had it comin'."

"Excuse me?" Someone said from the crowd that had gathered around. A dark haired woman stepped out from behind the others, her face angry and eyes drilling holes into Merle's face. "That's my son you're talking about."

Merle gave her a dry smile. "My apologies ma'am." She almost looked appeased but Merle wasn't finished. "You must have mistaken me for a person that gives a shit. You're _son_ is a bullyin' asshole that got his face smashed in by a little girl. A little girl he didn't have no business fuckin' with. Now shut the fuck up, can't you see that men are talkin?"

"Jesus Merle." Maggie whispered. "That was rude."

He just shrugged and gave her hand a squeeze. He was glad she was over her fit. God, he couldn't believe she had said that shit in front of his brother and Carol. He shook his head and focused his attention once again on Philip.

"We'll find her." He was saying to Daryl who still looked like he was ready to explode. Merle was scared but he knew that he had to keep his cool. Daryl was in the process of losing his damn mind and one of them had to keep it together.

Daryl ran his hand through his hair and then took a step closer to Philip, pointing a finger right in his face. "You psycho fuck! If you or one of your goddamn apes have done somethin' to her I swear to God every fuckin one of you will die screamin'."

Philip put his hands up and took a step away from him. "I understand how upset you are. I had a daughter once too and I promise you that me and the others around here will do everything we can to find her."

Daryl seemed to lose all his steam right then. They had been looking everywhere and there had been no sign of her yet. Carol and Andrea were walking towards them with Milton and Hershel. All of them looked grim. Carol looked dead on her feet, like the only thing holding her together was the other woman's arm around her waist. After another glare towards Philip Daryl turned and stormed towards them, eyes on nothing but Carol.

Merle watched Philip carefully as the man watched his brother walk away. He didn't show any other emotion on his face other than concern. Merle wasn't buying it for a second. They kept telling Daryl that Sophia had been upset enough to leave but that wasn't true. It wasn't that he didn't think the girl would get pissed off and leave for a while but he knew for a fact she wouldn't have left without telling Carl and Duane and since the two of them were the first ones to notice her missing in the first place he knew they weren't just covering for her. And Carl seemed to be in as bad a shape as Daryl was over the girl missing.

His eyes scanned his own group until they landed on the boys. Morgan, surprisingly, was standing with them. There was a definite divide from the group, the townspeople and Philips men. Morgan was usually with one of the latter two but tonight he stood next to Rick. Duane hadn't shunned his dad after what had happened their first night there but there was definitely tension between them now that had never been there before from what Duane said. Now the boy was back to being the same boy that Merle was responsible for before they had ever came to the town. And Merle liked it that way.

Duane looked up and met his eye. Merle gave him a swift nod and then looked towards the building they were all staying in. Without hesitation Duane nudged Carl and they took off. Merle would meet them there shortly.

He looked down at Maggie and sighed. He wanted to find Sophia but now he wasn't sure whether him and Daryl should go through with their plan. Or _his_ plan, anyway. Daryl hadn't really seemed to eager to do it at first but had eventually warmed up to the idea. But it would probably be better to hold off on that. At least until they found Sophia. And they were going to find her. He wasn't going to let any other option even try to enter his head. He had to keep it together because Daryl was about to crumble and somebody had to keep their head straight.

"She's gonna be just fine." Maggie said, more to herself than to Merle. "Look at everything that kid has been through and came out just fine on the other side. She's like you and Daryl."

Merle pulled her to him, even though he was sill a little pissed off over the shit she was saying to him earlier. "You're right." He said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her forehead against his chest.

~H~

Duane led Carl to Merle's room, where they were now waiting for the man to come to give them orders. Duane felt almost like he had the night that they had went on that rescue mission in the woods. He felt important. Merle had a way about him that made a kid feel like an equal. Right now him and Carl needed to be in soldier mode. Merle would figure this all out and they would get Sophia back. But at the moment Carl didn't look like much of a soldier. He was chewing the hell out of his nails and his eyes kept darting around worriedly.

"We're gonna find her." Duane said sternly, like there was no other option in the world. In his mind there really wasn't.

"I know." Carl said, removing his hand away from his mouth and taking a deep breath.

Duane really did feel sorry for Carl. To Duane, Sophia was like a sister. He had had plenty of friends before the world went to hell. Other kids that he had spent a lot of time with and was close too, but nothing like this. Sophia and Carl were closer to him than anyone else ever was. It was the three of them against the world. Even after realizing that this town had a good amount of kids in it, none of them had been the least bit interested in introducing themselves to the rest of them. They didn't need other people. They had each other. Duane figured that this was what it was like to have siblings.

All three of them were an only child but they couldn't have cared about each other more if they had shared blood. Sophia was his sister. Carl was his brother. He would do anything in the world for either of them, even if it meant risking his life. That's what you did for your family. But Carl felt a little different. He loved Sophia but it wasn't in any kind of sisterly way. Duane figured it was natural that they would be like that. Even though none of them knew what it meant yet. Eventually Carl and Sophia would be like Merle and Maggie or like Sophia's mom and Daryl. They'd be together. Carl knew it. Sophia probably did too but she didn't admit it.

"I think if one of the men took her then my dad would have heard about it by now. He's on our side, ya know. He is now anyway." Duane said, trying to get Carl to snap out of his weird mood. "He would tell us if anything happened."

Carl shook his head and stared at the door. "They know that. They know your dad is one of us because of you and they don't trust him anymore. Your lucky they haven't killed him yet."

Duane narrowed his eyes. He knew that it was probably true. It was one of the reasons him and Carl had talked about how they could kill the Governor themselves. Morgan would be the first of their group to be killed. "Well, some of the men still trust him or he would probably be dead right now."

Carl looked up and met his eyes. "We never should have let her go anywhere by herself. You see the way that asshole is always looking at her."

Duane shook his head stubbornly even though he agreed with his friend. "You know the fit she woulda thrown if we would have followed her. Remember who we're talking about now."

He had to believe that his dad would have heard something by now if someone had taken her. He was still angry at his dad for lying to him, it was still hard to look him in the eye after discovering that it was him that hot tried to kill Michonne, but he knew that the man was trying. He'd just wanted to protect him from the truth.

Both of their heads snapped up and they breathed a sigh of relief when Merle came in. He looked at them and then ran a hand over his tired face. Daryl followed him in and Duane actually took a step back when he saw the rage and anguish on the mans face. He was like a trapped bull. Duane knew then that somehow, someone was going die for this. Very soon.

"You're both sure she wouldn't have left the town?" Merle asked quickly.

They shook their heads. "She isn't stupid." Carl said defensively. "The only way she would have left is if we had went with her. She never said anything about leaving. Not alone anyway. Whoever did this, and I know this is someone elses doing, they figured after how much trouble she'd been having here, everyone might think she had up and left. That's what I think anyway. Ya'll didn't see her after we left the school today. She was really upset."

Daryl glared at him and he took another step back. "And you thought letting her go off by herself was smart?" He snapped and then Merle put a hand on his shoulder. Daryl just shook it off and started pacing.

"It ain't their fault. I saw her too and I never went after her. You know how that girl gets when she gets something in her head. Can't nobody do a damn thing with her other than you. Not even her own momma." Merle said quietly.

"What do we do, Merle?" Carl finally asked.

Merle looked at Duane and then at Carl, wheels in his head spinning. "Get yourselves some more guns, extra ammo. I want you to search every fucking building in this goddamn town. I want you do search every room in every building you can, you understand?"

They nodded.

"I want you to be invisible. I mean it. You don't make a sound and you keep your asses outta sight. You get spotted you're most likely gonna die tonight."

Another nod from them both.

"You sure you can do this? The two of you are a lot less noticeable than we are. If not then I'd do this myself" He locked eyes, first with Duane and then Carl.

"We're gonna get her back. I don't care if it kills us." Carl spat, finally letting more emotion than just fear show through.

Merle nodded at Carl and then bent down so he was face to face with Duane. He didn't recognize the look Merle was giving him. He had become an expert at reading the man, knowing what he wanted of him before he ever had to speak, but he didn't recognize this look. His large hand came up and actually cupped the side of Duane's face. He could feel it shaking, Merle wasn't near as calm as Duane thought he was. He was surprised at the show of affection but he never let his eyes waver.

"You bring our girl back, boy. You understand me?" Merle whispered in a strange voice, thick with emotion.

"Yes sir." Duane whispered back.

"And don't you dare get your goddamn fool self killed tonight. Me and you gotta lot more trouble to get into."

Duane nodded and then just about pissed himself when Merle pulled him in and hugged him quickly with one arm before straightening up and nodding towards Carl.

"Get your asses movin' boys." Merle growled, sounding like himself again. "You run into any trouble, you get spotted, don't you give them a chance to ask you any questions. You kill'em."

"Yes, sir." They said in unison before hurrying out the door.

~H~

Sophia had been working at the ropes for a long time. No longer trying to break free of them but using her fingers to try to figure out the knots. She was frustrated, scared and more pissed off than she had ever been about anything in her life. She would figure out how to get out of here and when she did, the person that brought her here to begin with was going to pay.

The Walker in the wall, that was what she called it now, had quieted once more. She figured it was because it couldn't hear her anymore. She saw enough of it to know that it was a child. Smaller than herself. It's head was covered so she couldn't make out anything else about it. She had screamed earlier, and that had gotten the Walker worked into a frenzy. She'd screamed until she was sure her throat was torn but no one came. She had no idea how long she had been in this room.

She had tried smashing the chair into the wall but all she managed to do with that plan was hurt herself. She had given up on that after just a few unsuccessful minutes.

She wasn't giving up hope. She knew that as soon as she did that she was dead for sure. She had no idea what was in store for her but she was going to put up a hell of a fight when the time came. She realized after a few more frustrating minutes that she wasn't going to have to wait for very long. She saw the knob turn and then the door pushed inward slowly.

She wasn't surprised at all when Philip walked in, Martinez followed him, carrying a tray of food. She eyed the men with her chin up and her mouth set in a stubborn line. She wasn't going to cower for either of these men.

"Well well. And still, you sit their defiant as ever." Philip chuckled.

Martinez set the tray down on a table and finally looked at her. She was surprised to see that he couldn't hold her eyes for long and what she saw in his was pity. He looked like he didn't want to be there at all and his words confirmed it.

"Can I go now?" He asked when he pulled his gaze away from hers.

Philip was still looking at her with that strange expression on his face. That seedy smile made her want to gag. "You go ahead and run along, Martinez. I'd like to have a little chat with our friend here."

Martinez shot her one last apologetic look and then backed out of the room. He shut the door behind him firmly and then Philip finally stopped staring at her long enough to lock it. The finality of that small click actually made her flinch. This was it. This crazy man was going to kill her. All she could hope was that she could at least inflict a little damage on him before he did. If he untied her then she was going to give him everything she had.

Even if all she could do was claw his face up a bit, that would be enough to let Daryl and Merle know that he was the one that had done this. She actually found herself thinking back to when her and Carl had been lost in the woods. She knew that Daryl was coming for them then. Just like she knew he was coming for her now. He wouldn't abandon her, but this time was different. She wasn't lost in the woods where she had a fighting chance to live. She was tied to a chair in a room with a madman, a Walker child and a bunch of heads floating around behind her. Daryl needed more time to figure out where she was. Time didn't seem like something she had much of. And in the woods she hadn't been alone. She had at least had Carl, even though he hadn't been anything like he was now, it was still a comfort to not be alone.

Philip was still looking at her in that strange way. "I have to say that I've never seen anything like you in all my life, little lady. Look at you." He laughed. "You're tied up to a chair, probably with a throbbing headache, and still you shoot daggers at me like you aren't afraid of anything. If your daddy could see you now." he shook his head back and forth, giving her a wide smile.

She wasn't going to say anything. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Have you met my Penny?" He gestured towards the grate and then he looked over at it with a morose look in his eyes. "She could have learned so much from a girl like yourself. I should have taught her to be strong like you, but I didn't. I coddled her, you know. Most daddy's do that to their little girls." He shook his head and then turned back to her. "I miss my daughter, Sophia." He said flatly.

She was starting to get more and more nervous. He kept his Walker daughter locked up in the wall and now here she was tied up to a chair, at his mercy. This was why she had gotten such a creepy vibe from him. He was batshit crazy. Completely wacko. And she was totally screwed.

The Walker chose that moment to throw itself against the bars again, growling and snarling, no longer this mans little girl. But he smiled at it fondly. "She's getting hungry." he said quietly.

Oh shit. Was he going to feed her to a Walker?

He reached for the latch that would open the door and this time Sophia did pull her legs up onto the chair. She pulled her knees up until they were pressed firmly against her chest. She didn't cry but she wanted too. She imagined all sorts of horrors during the time she had been here but she hadn't thought of this. She hadn't thought of being tied down and then eaten alive by some monster child.

He yanked the door open and pulled the thing out and hugged it tightly. Sophia wanted to look away but she was morbidly mesmerized by the sight in front of her. She saw a sharp look of pain cross Philips eyes as he held onto the struggling thing in his arms. The head was still covered up and she realized that it, much like her, had it's hands tight behind it's back.

Philip glanced up at her and smiled once more. "I know this must seem strange to you. But see, I think there's a way to change her back. I think my sweet girl is still in here somewhere."

Sophia groaned inwardly. How the _hell_ was she going to get herself out of this? He was beyond batshit. She looked away for an instant when he placed a kiss on the side of the things face. At least it's head was still covered. Jesus, this was bad.

Just then he decided to rip the covering off its head. Sophia had seen a lot of Walkers but none that were this small. The eyes were milky, dead, unseeing. Mouth stretched wide as a feral cry escaped it's decaying throat. It was looking at her now. Hungry to take a chunk from her. Would he let her turn? Or would he just let the thing eat her? She pressed her knees closer to herself. She would do anything to have her gun right now. Anything to be able to at least run away, even if she couldn't fight. Her fingers were working frantically at the ropes that held her to the chair. This couldn't happen. She had to buy herself time so Daryl could get to her.

"How old is she?" She blurted out in a whisper.

Philip looked at her sharply. His eyes were suspicious but then his face softened. "She was eight when she was bitten. But she had a Birthday last week."

She nodded as he stared at her. She breathed out a sigh of relief when he covered the things head back up and then pushed her back into the wall, locking it back in. she put her feet down on the floor and tried to look at him like she didn't want to rip his head off. She couldn't let her temper get in the way. She couldn't tell him to go to hell. She couldn't let him know that, first chance she got, she was going to kill him. Somehow she was going to kill him, before he killed her. But right now she had to play it cool.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked, making sure she kept her voice curious instead of fearful or enraged.

He sighed and then sat down in the chair across from her. He clasped his hands in front him as he hung his head for a few long moments. When he looked back up at her his eyes and his smile were both tired. "I know what you must think of me. You think I'm a lunatic. But I assure you, I am not. I want my little girl back. Do you understand that? I would do anything to have her back."

His voice sounded so sad that she almost felt sorry for him. Almost. There was a reason he brought her here and it had something to do with that Walker. He kept telling her that it was his daughter but there was nothing left of the child in that rotting shell.

For just a few moments though she pictured herself in his shoes. What would it be like to look at her mom if she had ever been bitten and turned. Would she still think of her as her mom? Or would she be smart enough to not see it that way. She couldn't really say what she would do. She didn't know. Could she look at the people she loved, Daryl, Merle, her mom, Carl, Duane and _know_ that they were gone? Or would she always try to see the people they were. Always search for a flicker of humanity inside the dead eyes of her loved ones? She shuddered involuntarily at that thought. Maybe this guy wasn't as crazy as she thought. Maybe he was just desperate. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. His life must have been a hard one.

He was still looking at her and she realized he hadn't answered her yet. Instead of saying anything he stood up and walked towards her. She wanted to cringe back into her chair again but she didn't. She lifted her chin once more and studied him. She didn't show any fear, even though she was full of it now, until he reached out with a shaky hand and touched her face.

She tried to jerk her head away but then he grabbed her roughly by the chin and held her in place. His grip was painful and suddenly his eyes were hard as steel as they bore into hers.

"I want my daughter back." He hissed between clenched teeth. "And you're going to help me do that."

She was pretty sure her heart was going to explode out of her chest. Why her? It wasn't like she was the only girl in this town. She had seen a lot of them. Why did he think he needed her? She blurted out the first thing that she thought of. "Nothing's going to bring her back. She's gone."

He moved so fast that she didn't see it coming. He tightened the grip he had on her face and then back handed her. She didn't cry out. She was too stunned to do much of anything for a few seconds. Her mouth filled with the copper taste of blood.

She pictured her mom then. Saw her kind smile and her pretty face and then she saw that face, in her minds eye, morph into a black and blue mess. Her mom trying hard to smile through all the pain in her face. And then she saw red. His face was close to hers, a gloating smile tugging at his lips.

She spit an impressive spray of blood right into his face and the front of his shirt and then she kicked him in the knee as hard as she could. There was no playing it cool with him anymore. She wasn't ever going to let a man hurt her like that without doing something about it. She didn't care anymore that she was tied to a chair and she didn't care anymore that this guy was completely unhinged. She lashed out again with her feet but he had limped far enough away that she couldn't touch him.

"You psycho son of a bitch!" She screamed as she struggled against the ropes. Her head was throbbing, her face was stinging and her wrists were burning but none of this mattered. She was going to kill him. Some how she would get her hands freed and when she did she was going to kill him.

He was rubbing his injured knee but he had recovered quickly. He looked at her, eyes flashing angrily. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife.

Oh hell.

He stepped around her and she felt the ropes give but they were quickly replaced by a pair of strong hands. He yanked her up out of the chair, one hand clamped around her wrists and the other hand grasping her by the hair and started walking her forwards.

She realized where he was taking her and she tried to pull away. She thrashed and yanked against him but every time he would just jerk her back painfully by the hair. He was walking her towards the door. Not the one that led to freedom but the one that the groaning Walker was locked behind.


	89. Chapter 89

**I was about to walk out the door and remembered that I hadn't updated! So I came back in to do so. Just cause I'm sweet and stuff ;) Thank you for the reviews and for following this through to the end. We are down to about four or five chapters to go! I hope you all have a great weekend and stay safe! **

Chapter Eighty Nine

Daryl and Merle were checking once again behind the building on the side of town that was closest to the woods and closest to where they were all staying. He didn't believe Philip. He was almost certain that the man knew exactly where she was but Merle had made a good point. If Daryl's fucked up temper got them both killed then Sophia wouldn't get saved at all. It was pretty much up to the boys to find her since Merle and Daryl really couldn't be the ones to search through the other buildings. Not without getting caught. Those boys were good. If Merle and Daryl couldn't get to her then the boys would.

They wordlessly entered their building and Daryl spotted Martinez stepping out of his room. Where Carol, Maggie and Andrea were. The man just glanced at them, nodded and then walked on down the hall.

Daryl frowned. "The fuck was he doin' in there?"

Merle picked up his pace. He had been pretty quiet ever since they learned that Sophia was missing. That had been hours ago. He knew that his brother was worried but he was carrying the weight of that worry on silent shoulders. It made Daryl pretty nervous, on top of how nervous he was because of the girl. Merle wasn't as quick to throw a fit as he was but when things got real harry he could throw one with the best of them. But then there was another side of him also. The quiet one. A quiet Merle Dixon was one of the most dangerous things that Daryl had ever seen. He had been quiet about his plans to kill Philip and his men tonight. Daryl had a feeling that that plan wasn't too far from Merle's mind. As soon as Sophia was found there was going to be death storming Woodbury in the form of one pissed off redneck.

They slipped into the room. Maggie and Carol were both standing in front of the window, arms crossed. Andrea was sitting on the couch, worriedly watching the other two women.

"What the fuck did he want?" Daryl asked as he shut the door and locked it.

Carol spun around and he winced at the anguish he saw when she met his eyes. How many more times would they have to go through this? She just shrugged and then looked back out the window.

"He was asking if Sophia has turned up. Philip sent him." Andrea said as she glanced worriedly towards Carol once more.

Merle was staring worriedly at Carol's rigid back when Maggie glanced over at the other woman. "I'm gonna go back out with Andrea, okay?" Maggie said in a small voice.

Carol nodded but didn't say anything. Andrea got up and her and Maggie headed for the door but Merle grabbed her arm. "Not alone." He said gruffly.

Maggie nodded and then grabbed his hand.

Daryl didn't take his eyes off Carol's back as the others left. She still hadn't moved.

"Carol?" He asked in a voice he hardly recognized as his own.

She turned around then and squared her shoulders as her eyes met his. "She's okay. We'll find her and then we'll get ourselves the hell out of this town."

He nodded and then closed the distance between them. She gave him a small crooked smile, and he was glad to see that her eyes were clear. This surprised him though. He expected to be dealing with a breakdown. At least tears. Hell he was too the point where he could have cried himself. They had turned the town upside down, the boys were more than certain that she would never have taken off alone outside the walls, so she was inside. But going after her would get them all killed. He had to put every once of faith in two boys. Kids.

"You're right." He muttered.

"Maggie said the boys were searching inside. That's where they'll find her. She's too smart to leave and she isn't anywhere else." Her thoughts were mirroring his own.

He nodded, still studying her face closely, waiting for the flood gates to open.

"I'm not going to have a breakdown, Daryl." she said quietly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I almost did a few times but that wouldn't have done anyone any good. Maggie and Andrea didn't have to baby sit me."

He pressed his forehead against hers. "People care is all. They wasn't baby sittin' anybody."

She nodded. "I know they care. And that's why they were baby sitting. We're gonna get her back. This isn't like when she was lost in the woods. This is different. She's different. With you and your brother there to influence her I swear she is about the strongest person I've ever met. And she's going to be just fine."

He nodded, wondering when this became about her comforting him. Not that he didn't need it. He knew she was strong and she was smart but worms of doubt kept squirming through his mind. She was also, after everything she had survived so far, still just a little girl. She was capable but that only went so far. The difference between Carol and him was he would rather have her lost in the woods. She had a chance to fight that way.

"You and Merle taught her right, Daryl. She's gonna be just fine." She said as she laid her head on his shoulder.

Her words were calm but as her chest pressed against his own he could feel her heart pounding frantically. She was getting good at putting on a brave face but right now she was just as afraid as he was, if not more. He tightened his arms around her. Hoping that those boys really were as good as Merle said they were.

~H~

Philip was pressing her face against the bars painfully. Her nose had started bleeding and the Walker was worked up into a fury by the smell of the blood. Even though it's face was covered it tried to bite her through the bars, her own blood soaking into the material covering it's face, driving the thing mad.

He was definitely going to kill her now. Either he was going to do it himself or he was going to feed her to his daughter. Either way she was dead and she knew it. She finally felt tears escape her eyes. There was only so much fear and pain a girl could go through before she cried. Daryl was probably looking for her but she doubted that he would find her in time. This was it for her. She hoped that it would be quick and she hoped she wouldn't turn. The last thing her mom would ever need to see is her looking like the little girl on the other side of those bars.

"Are you ready to behave now?" He growled in her ear.

She kept her mouth shut because the first response that came to mind was to tell him to go to hell and she really wasn't in any position to be saying anything like that to him. But she refused to beg. She wouldn't beg this man for anything.

He yanked her away from the barred door and dragged her back to the chair. He tied her hands behind her back once more but this time he left her free. She wasn't tied down to anything but she was starting to feel dizzy so she sat in the chair anyway. She didn't have much fight in her at the moment. Sure, she was stronger than she had been. She was smarter and she was more capable. But she was a twelve year old girl. He was a grown man. And it didn't matter that she was stronger than she was, he was obviously insane. This was where she needed to prove to be smarter.

"You can let me go now. I wont say anything to anyone about this." She whispered.

He picked up a napkin from the tray that Martinez had brought in and came at her with it. She flinched away from his hand and then cursed herself for showing him her fear. She had vowed not to cower to anyone, especially him.

He caught her eye and held her gaze. The look on his face was unreadable but then he sighed heavily and shook his head. "I'm sorry about this. I shouldn't have gotten so angry." he muttered as he started wiping the blood from her face.

His touch was gentle now but she almost wished he would just knock her out or something. She didn't want to hear him speak anymore. Especially when he was speaking in that soft kind voice that was a strange contrast to the hateful look in his eyes every time he glanced up at her.

"You see, I started trying to bring my little girl back a while ago. I come to talk to her a lot. I bring her things that I know she would have loved before she had gotten herself bit. I play her favorite music for her every day." He picked up a bottle of water and held it to her lips. She drank, figuring he would pour it on her head if she didn't.

"Did it work?" She asked despite the voice in her head telling her to keep her mouth shut.

He sat back down in the chair he had occupied earlier. His face was thoughtful as he glanced over at the cage door and then back to her. "I just don't know, sometimes I think it does. I think I see a spark, you know?" He let out a breathy laugh. "It's always just a quick spark though. Always gone before I can be sure I saw it at all. But I have hope. Without that then what is there?"

Sophia held his gaze. "What can I do? Where do I fit in with your little plan? You gonna feed her another little girl and hope it snaps her out of it?" God why was she still being such a smart ass?

He shook his head and smiled. "No. Nothing like that. You may think I'm a monster. I assure you that I'm not. I'm a father who is trying to get his little girl back."

She wanted to tell him that there was no bringing the girl back. Considering how well that worked out for her the first time, however, she just kept her mouth shut. For now.

"She always talked about wanting an older sister. Someone to play with and someone that she could talk too. Have you ever wanted siblings Sophia?" He asked.

She felt her eyes growing wide. He wasn't talking about killing her. He was talking about _keeping_ her. Forcing her to interact with that Walker to try to turn her back into a little girl. Was this asshole serious? She should have felt relief that he wasn't going to kill her. At least not until he found out that this would never work, but that wasn't her first reaction. She was even more afraid now.

"Sophia?" He asked as he arched an eyebrow.

She realized then that she had never answered his question. "No." She whispered honestly. "I never wanted a sister."

"Brother?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No. I never wanted any siblings."

He nodded. "Well, Penny did. I wished my wife and I had had more children. We just thought that there would be more time, you know? Besides, Penny wanted an older sister. Not a baby sister. And now you're going to play the role of big sister."

Jesus Christ, what she would have done to have access to her gun right now. "They're looking for me. I know they are. You can't just lock me up in a room and hope no one comes for me." She whispered.

"You're dad has already threatened me and all my men. He's frantic but I think it'll all work out. Soon there isn't going to be anyone left to look."

Her heart sank. He was going to kill them. Or have his men kill them. Either way her entire group, her _family_ was in danger. More danger than they thought. Merle thought that they were getting somewhere since Philip had put him in charge of the men. But it was really Philip playing them all for fools.

"You son of a bitch." She hissed before she even realized what she was saying. "You go through all this trouble to bring your daughter back, and then you take someones daughter away from them without a second thought? You think my mom and dad don't want me back right now just as much as you want Penny? How could you be so cruel, knowing how bad losing a kid hurts."

"I do feel for your momma." He shook his head sadly, "But I think you'd be better off without that daddy of yours. Seems to me like he hasn't done a very good job bringing up a little girl like you. You're out of control, your dangerous. He should have taught you better than that. I wont hold your mom responsible. He should have taught you better."

"He taught me how to survive. If he hadn't then I would have ended up just like her." She snapped and then flinched when she realized that she was real close to setting him off again. She had to keep her opinions to herself right now and think before she said anything else before she really did drive him to kill her.

"And what good did that do him in the end? He's gonna die not knowing what ever happened to you." His voice was low and cruel and her eyes once again filled with tears. It was one thing to fear for herself, to know without a doubt that there wasn't much hope, but it was a different kind of helplessness when people you loved were at risk.

"You wont get away with this." She said as she raised her chin and squared her shoulders. "Merle is a lot more dangerous than you are. This isn't going to pan out the way you want it too. And I wont have any part of this. I'm not gonna sit here and play barbies with a monster."

He slapped her again but this time she knew it was coming. She glared at him.

"You'll do whatever I tell you to do. Or I'll kill them one by one while you watch. Do you understand me?"

"I'm gonna get myself out of here. And when I do I'm gonna kill you myself." She said in a voice that no longer sounded like her own. And there must have been something in her face because his eyes widened a little bit before he stood up. She felt a surge of hope when she saw him heading for the door. Maybe he was crazy enough to leave without tying her back up to the chair. She glanced around the room, trying to spot anything that could be used as a weapon.

To her dismay he simply grabbed the tray and sat it down on the small table next to her. He reached behind her, untying her hands once more. "Eat." He said angrily.

She looked down at the tray. She really was hungry, her empty stomach was growling painfully, but she didn't want to give the asshole the satisfaction of her actually listening to him. Her lips formed a tight line and then she shook her head.

He angrily picked up the sandwich and tried forcing it into her mouth. Pressing the back of her head against the chair and smashing the food into her face. She finally opened her mouth when she felt as though he was going to push her teeth out with the force he was using.

As soon as he realized she had opened her mouth he kept shoving until she was sure he was going to cause her to choke to death. Wouldn't that be a hell of a way to go? She survives the end of the world like a champ. Takes out monsters and mad men alike. And then she gets taken out by fucking sandwich.

He must have came to his senses because he abruptly back away from her, letting the food fall. She spit the rest out and gasped for breath.

"You crazy fuck!' She yelled as she glared at him.

He rubbed frantically at his face and then took a couple of deep breaths. "I have never hurt a child in my life. And this," he gestured towards her, "This is why I chose you to begin with. You deserve it more than any other child I have ever met." He growled. "How anyone can deal with you is a mystery to me."

"Me?" Sophia asked bitterly. "How do you think your little girl would react to you now? Huh? If you ever were able to bring her back she'd be terrified of a psycho like you. And I hope this works. I really do and I hope I get to see the hate in her face once she realizes what you are. You're worse than the Walkers and your little girl is gonna hate you if she ever gets to see what you let yourself turn into." She laughed a humorless laugh.

He snarled and rushed her. She could have moved but she didn't. This time when he struck her she was only conscious long enough to see the floor rushing up towards her face. Then there was nothing.

~H~

"This was a really bad idea." Carl grumbled from somewhere behind him.

Duane rolled his eyes, even though the other boy couldn't see him. "This is a great idea." To their dismay most of the doors to most of the buildings were locked. They needed to search every inch of every damn place they could so they could find Sophia no matter where she had been taken. They were in the building that Philip used for his Town Hall. It was where he had the others gather the other day and it was where he went over plans and things with Merle every morning.

They had gotten inside by sheer luck alone. Someone had conveniently left a back window open and they were able to squeeze through before anyone made their rounds behind the building. They had ended up in a locked room with filing cabinets lined against one wall and a few tables scattered about with papers and folders spread out across them.

They had heard a few men in the hallway and silently crept to the door, pressing their ears against the wood to see if they could hear what the men were saying.

"He's lost it. He's completely fucking lost it this time." It was Martinez.

Duane and Carl had shared a worried look. They figured the "he" that Martinez was referring too was Philip.

"He's gonna try everything he can to bring her back." Another man responded after a long pause.

"Nothing is going to bring her back. The girl is dead. The sooner he accepts that the sooner we can all stop this. This is too much, man, even for me and you know I'm down for almost anything."

Duane's heart skipped a few beats and then started pounding hard against his rib cage. Even in the dark room he saw the desperation in Carl's wide eyes. Who were they talking about? He refused to believe that they were too late. Sophia wasn't dead. She couldn't be dead.

"Are you going to tell him that?" The other man snapped.

"That girls dad and that uncle of hers are gonna kill every one of us for this." Martinez said quietly.

Carl pushed himself away from the door and backed up a few feet. "He killed her." He whispered.

Duane put his finger to his lips and kept his ear to the door.

"I think we should try to do something to get that Dixon girl out of there. He's going to end up killing her. I didn't sign up to help anyone kill any kids. Men are one thing but little girls? I don't want no part of that."

"Martinez, you need to watch who you say that too, man. You try to get that girl outta there and your a dead man. He'll give the orders and you'll be dead. Just keep all that to yourself. That's about the best thing you can do. Our hands are tied on this one. He thinks this is going to work."

Duane backed away from the door to join Carl, who missed the last of the conversation. He was shaking and if Duane didn't know any better he thought the boy was about to cry. "She ain't dead." He whispered.

"Duane, I heard what they said." Carl's voice was so low that Duane could barely hear him.

"You didn't hear the rest of what they said. Don't freak out on me, Grimes. He must have killed another girl or somethin' but Martinez was just talkin' about getting the Dixon girl out. If she was dead then they wouldn't be talkin' about her. Unless you know of another girl they think is a Dixon?"

"We need to go get Merle and Daryl." Carl said, looking more himself already.

Duane shook his head. "Not enough time. Martinez sounded like she was in trouble. Said Philip would end up killing her. Merle and Daryl can't do this like we can. We have to do this quiet and we have to do this now."

"There's probably men all over this building, Duane. How the hell are we going to find her in here without getting caught? They'll see us and then our whole group is gonna go down for it."

Duane walked up to the door and put his ear to it again. All was silent for a few seconds and then he heard more footsteps outside. But these footsteps stopped outside the door. He heard keys jingling and then he grabbed Carl and ran on silent feet to a door at the back of the room. He wasn't sure where it would lead them and he wasn't sure if it would even be unlocked but he had to get them somewhere. There was a large window set in the center of the door but that was okay. They could duck down and hide. Lucky for them it was just a storage closet and they had barely had time to shut the door when the other door opened and the lights came on.

Carl and Duane both pressed their backs into the wall on each side of the glass. Duane was dying to look to see who was there but he was too afraid of getting spotted. They both nearly jumped out of their skin when they heard a gutteral yell and then something crashed to the floor.

"What the fuck?" Duane breathed as he took his knife out. They still didn't want to use their guns even though Merle had armed them to the teeth.

Both boys nodded at the other and then they both eased over just enough so they could see into the room. The light didn't even reach the back, where they were, so all fear of being spotted went away. They were still careful to keep as much of themselves hidden as they could.

Philip was there. The sound they had heard was one of the file cabinets hitting the ground. He was kicking it repeatedly, his face an enraged mask as he pulled frantically at his own hair. There was blood spattered across his white shirt and some even visible on his face even from this far back. Duane's stomach tightened uncomfortably. Was that Sophia's blood or had she done something to cause Philip to bleed?

Carl moved his head away and rested it on the wall. "Should we kill him now?" He asked.

Duane took one more look and then shook his head. "They hear guns and they'll all come running."

Carl scanned the room they were in, like they would find something else to use. They could try to go after him with their knives but he was no doubt armed. He would gun them both down. They stayed like that, pressed against the wall for a few more minutes before they heard the other door open. They peeked around and watched as Philip walked out into the hallway.

They waited a little while longer and then left the small room they had been hiding in. Now it was Duane's turn to scan the room. There were no other doors. The only way out was either back outside through the window or right out into the hallway to be discovered by anyone passing by. Chances were, every door would be locked like this one had been.

He grabbed Carl's arm and pointed. There in the wall, just big enough for them to squeeze into, was a heating vent. They hurried over to it to get a better view. The vent cover was pretty old looking but that didn't surprise either of them. These buildings were old and they had noticed the same type in their own room across the street.

Duane hurriedly used his knife to unscrew the vent cover so they could check it out. The screws were hard to loosen at first but it didn't take them long.

"This is an awful idea. Why do you and Sophia have to come up with such bad ideas?" Carl grumbled.

Duane flashed him a grin and gestured towards the hole.

"Hell no! This is your plan. You're Merle's prodigy, not me. You go first. There's probably spiders all over the place in there." He grumbled.

Duane shook his head. "Wont hesitate to go after Walkers or kill men but cringe at the thought of a damn bug."

"They aren't just bugs, jack ass. They're spiders, and I'd rather them get on you than me."

Duane took the small penlight out and shined it inside just long enough for him to tell what he was about to get into. There was an intersection about two feet in and he figured they may as well go right. He turned off the light and headed in on all fours. He was glad he wasn't one of them people afraid of tight spaces and he hoped, with a small chuckle, that Carl wasn't either.

When he turned he glanced back. "Make sure you at least pull the vent cover back over the opening. Hopefully no one notices it's been taken off."

He heard Carl sigh loudly. "This is a really horrible idea."

**I know you all probably think I am being really cruel! I hope you don't curse me too much for what's going on with poor Sophia! There is usually a point to everything I do and this is no different. High emotions are very important and the one thing that sort of links everyone is this girl! With that said, I gotta go! Thanks for reading! As always =)**


	90. Chapter 90

**HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! I am so sorry I haven't posted another chapter. It's been ready. As a matter of fact I have the epilogue to write and that's it. So after this there are four chapters to go! But this site isn't sending anyone any email notifications so I was afraid I would post it and then no one would get to read it. But it's been a few days so I am posting it anyway. Hopefully they will fix this soon! Thank you all for reviewing! If you got an Email for this then please let me know! Hope everyone has a great day! **

Chapter Ninety

Sophia wasn't sure where she was when she finally came too. She knew that she was lying on a hard floor but she was having trouble remembering how she had ended up there. She tried to bring her hands around so she could push herself up off the floor but they were tied behind her back. Memories flooded her mind then and she stiffened and craned her neck to look around the now familiar room.

The first thing her eyes landed on was the tanks full of heads. Faces peering at her from the eerie blueish liquid they floated in. She forced herself to look away. Those tanks were more creepy than the other thing that her eyes zeroed in on. The barred door set into the far wall. She shut her eyes, tears threatening to spill once more.

She wondered vaguely why he hadn't went ahead and killed her. She almost wished he had. The pain in her face was really bad and that throbbing in her head was still there and now her wrists were aching and burning. Her hands were slick but she didn't know whether the moisture was from blood or sweat. When she realized she was alone she sat up on her knees on the floor. He hadn't tied her to the chair. Probably because he knew she wouldn't be a threat. She was tied up, locked in a room. What could she do?

Her vision wasn't too great at the moment. She closed her eyes and shook her head back and forth, like she could shake off the vertigo that had suddenly hit her once she was sitting up. When she opened her eyes her head was still hanging down and something caught her eye. Blood. Her blood. Where she had been lying on the floor, her face pressed against the hard tile, her nose or maybe her mouth or maybe a new wound, had left a small dark puddle, with a smear where she had moved while she was unconscious.

Her blood. Right there on the floor, where she had landed after that sick freak had hit her again. Ed had never even hit her like that. Oh, she didn't have any doubts that he would have eventually if he had lived long enough. But he hadn't. No one had ever hit her like Philip had. She had vowed a long time ago that no one was ever going to hit her like that. Not the way Ed had hit her mom. And here she was, sitting on the floor next to a small puddle of her very own blood, because she hadn't been strong enough to prevent it from happening.

A small part of her wanted to crawl into the corner and cry. But that part was a very small part. The bigger part had her narrowing her eyes. She wasn't about to be anybodies victim. She was strong and she was smart. How many times had Daryl and Merle told her that? And they weren't full of shit. They weren't men that handed out compliments like that unless there was a damn good reason. She was strong and she was smart and she was going to get the hell out of this room.

She stood up then, a wave of nausea hit her hard once she was on her feet but she shook it off and then backed up until the wall was right there. She leaned against it heavily for a few long minutes as her eyes scanned the room. She had no weapon. There was nothing sharp that she could try to use to cut through the ropes. She had no idea how much time she had spent unconscious on the floor so she had no idea how much time she had before he came back. She remembered that her wrists were slick and so she once again tried to work her hands free but that was just causing them to hurt more and there was no way she was slipping out of those knots. She tried to keep herself level headed. She needed to think. But all she could think about was him hitting her again. Apparently the plan of keeping her mouth shut was out of the question. That was something she had tried and failed at doing.

She once again scanned the room, finding nothing. There had to be something. She'd seen enough movies to know that when it seemed like all hope was lost, something turned up to get the person out of a jam. But this was looking bleak. Her eyes once again fell on the tanks full of heads.

An idea hit her then and it nearly caused her to gag. Her stomach rolled once more with nausea. She paced the room, causing Penny to snarl and groan behind her bars.

"Shut up." Sophia growled as she continued her pacing. The pacing was actually clearing her mind a little. She didn't have time for this. She needed to act. Now. So she stormed over to the tanks, took a deep breath and kicked.

Nothing happened.

She growled in frustration and kicked again and again. This ordeal had her weaker than she had thought. But finally her last kick worked. She yelped and jumped back as the putrid fluid gushed out of the hole that her foot had made in the tank.

"Oh God." She gasped as a head rolled lazily towards her. She backed up quickly, almost slipping.

She had managed to kick a nice sized hole into the glass and shards were hanging, long and sharp from the tank itself. She sucked in a deep breath and made her way over to the tank. The heads looked like they were watching her. Looking down at the stuff on the floor she was really dreading her next move. She slowly lowered herself back onto her knees, wincing as her jeans soaked up the stuff the head had been floating in. she couldn't think about that. She squeezed her eyes shut and then shuffled around so her back was to the glass.

It took her a while to even get herself situated and then find a long enough piece of glass to used against her roped. She had to be careful not to put too much pressure on it since that could cause the pieces to just fall away from the side of the tank it was stuck too. She almost felt like she was sticking her exposed hands inside the mouth of some kind of gaping monster. But that was kid stuff. No time for kid stuff.

She worked her hand up and down on the edge of the glass and couldn't be sure if it was even working. She just had to hope that it was since this was her only option. Several times she had to wince as her numb hands slipped and she would feel the glass dig into her flesh. But she kept trying, constantly glancing at the door and wandering how much time she could have. He had to be coming back soon. She had no idea what time it was or how long she had been in the room. It could have been hours or days, she had no way of knowing how long she had been unconscious either time he had knocked her out.

She was close to giving up. She was starting to worry that she was cutting her wrists more than she thought but suddenly there was a little give to the restraints. She let out a sob of relief when she tugged and the ropes gave a little more. She tried to slow herself down, tried to keep calm enough to not slit her wrists on the glass in her excitement but it was hard to do. She still kept expecting him to bust through the door any second. And if he did she would surely die. He would kill her.

Finally, after what felt like hours, her hands came apart. She was afraid to even look at them. For all she knew she could have severed a vein and was now bleeding to death now that she was one small step closer to victory.

She held them up and studied them nervously. There was a lot of blood but it wasn't gushing so she was probably going to be okay. It ran down her forearms in vibrant red streams. The smell must have been enough to get Penny started again because the Walker lunged at the bars once more. Sophia made an angry sound in the back of her throat. She picked up a long jagged piece of glass and stormed over to the barred door. Penny lunged again, the bloodstained cloth covering her face pressing into the metal as her mouth worked frantically, driven to another frenzy at the smell of fresh blood.

Sophia studied Penny for a few minutes. The small frame and the desperate hungry growls. She was filled with sadness for this little girl. How easily this could have been her. Would her mom keep her this way? Would Daryl? Just an empty vessel. That was all that was in front of her. She wondered about this girl. What had been her favorite song? Had she had a good life? What had been her favorite things to play? She watched the Walker, Penny, until her vision blurred and a sob escaped her throat.

This was wrong. Very wrong. This wasn't a little girl anymore and the thought of leaving her like this made Sophia cringe. Without thinking about it any further she aimed and plunged the glass into Penny's eye. Her aim was good, considering she wasn't exactly sure where the little girls eye was with that thing over her head.

~H~

Merle met Daryl and Carol outside the apartments. They were about to make another round when they spotted Philip walking towards them. One of the first things Daryl noticed was the fact that he had changed his clothes. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Keep your head, baby brother." Merle whispered.

He smiled when he approached them. "Any luck?" He asked.

Merle shook his head. "You still got your men lookin'?

Philip nodded. "We're pretty sure she didn't leave the town but we have some men scouring the road and the woods just in case. We did find somethin' else that was pretty interesting though." He looked past them and waved someone forward.

Merle heard Carol gasp before he even realized what he was looking at. When he saw them he cursed under his breath. This was the last thing they needed right now. Morgan and the Irishman were walking towards them, with a battered and half conscious Randal between them. They were holding the boy up.

"The fuck is this shit?" Merle growled.

"We found him on the road. He had himself an impressive looking gun on him but he didn't use it. Gave himself up right away." Philip said in that friendly tone he used that always put the Dixon's teeth on edge.

"So you took his gun and then beat the shit outta him?" Daryl spat as he approached the men.

Philip shrugged. "I wasn't there. I'm sure there was a good reason they did what they did."

Merle eyed Morgan angrily. "You do this to one of ours?" he growled.

Morgan shook his head. "I was just told to bring him to you and your brother. I wasn't with the one's that were searching past the wall." He said dully.

Merle looked Randal over. He was pretty banged up but he didn't look like he was in too bad of shape. "I'll take him to his room. He tell anyone why the hell he took off in the first place?"

Philip shook his head but was studying Merle in a strange way.

"The fuck you lookin' at?" Daryl growled and Carol instantly had hold of his arm.

Philip shook his head and turned to walk away. Back towards the Town Hall.

"We got it from here Red." Merle said as he grabbed Randal by the shirt front.

The man nodded. "Yes sir." he said as he walked away to join the others that were on the wall.

Merle helped Morgan get the boy into his room while Carol and his brother followed silently. This was definitely a complication. Philip was naturally a suspicious mother fucker and this shit was just making it worse. If somehow he was the one that had Sophia this was possibly going to make it harder to find her. All his hopes were riding on the boys. They were good. He had to keep telling himself that. There wasn't another option. Sophia was okay and the boys were going to get to her. Wherever she was. And then after she was found all hell was going to break loose. There would be people lost on both sides but there was no avoiding it now. There would be no sneaking in and out of rooms, quietly killing. There was a huge tension between the groups. The thing that surprised Merle the most was the fact that there were several of Philips men that seemed as though they were leaning more towards following Merle's lead. That could be a good thing. But he couldn't come out and ask those men who's side they wanted to take once the shit hit the fan.

Once they had the door shut and Randal was on his bed Merle towered over him as Morgan stepped back. "What the fuck were ya thinkin', dumb shit?" He growled.

"We were worried. We thought you guys ran into trouble here so we came to help." He said weakly. "I didn't know they would be in the woods and on the road."

"We?" Carol asked quietly. "That woman came with you?"

Randal nodded. "She's a lot more stealthy than me. I don't think they found her. By now she's probably already here. What's going on? Why haven't you all left yet?"

"Sophia's missing. We have to find her and then when we do we still aren't leaving. We're killing the Governor and taking the town." Carol deadpanned as Randal gaped at her.

"Well, Michonne will be happy about that. She's here for some revenge herself. One of the men shot her."

Carol, Merle and Daryl all looked at Morgan. Merle couldn't let the woman kill him. Even if he didn't much like him, he was still Duane's dad and he couldn't let anything happen to him. As far as Morgan knew he had been doing the right thing.

A knock at the door broke the silence that had enveloped the room. Merle flung the door open angrily. He stood there for a few shocked seconds, blocking everyone's view. "The fuck you want?" He finally sneered.

Martinez glanced down the hall nervously. "Can I come in?"

Merle glared. "Are you one of the ones that beat the shit out our boy, here?" He asked as he tilted his head towards Randal as he stepped out of the way.

Martinez shook his head. "I need to see your brother." He said as he glanced down the hall once more.

Merle moved so the man could come in. The look on his face was turning Merle's stomach. Something was about to happen. Martinez and Daryl hated one another. Neither of them made that fact a secret. The man had taken a real beating at the hands of his brother and it was just now healing up.

Martinez glanced around the room, his gaze landing on Morgan. "You're with them, aren't you?" he asked quietly. It didn't sound like an accusation. Just a question that needed an answer.

Morgan didn't hesitate. Even he knew that they were at the end of the charade. He had loyalties to this group, and if not he at least had loyalties to his son, who was at the heart of the group. He nodded.

Martinez locked eyes with Daryl who had put himself only inches away from him, bristling for a fight already. Daryl was on edge and Merle figured he was itching to blow off some steam.

"I know where your girl is." Martinez blurted out quickly. "The Governor has her in the Town Hall. She's locked in a room on the first floor but the whole place is guarded."

Merle watched as the blood drained from Daryl's face. "Has he...? Has he hurt her?" He choked out as he took a few steps away from Martinez.

Martinez shook his head. "I don't think so. Not yet. But I know that man. I know how he is and that girl of yours is a feisty one. You need to figure out how to get to her soon."

"Why are you telling us this?" Carol asked, her voice cracking and her eyes filling with tears. Merle knew that she had been holding on to the hope that Sophia was just out there somewhere, working things out for herself.

Martinez shrugged. "She's a kid. She's a hellion but she's still just a kid. I had kids of my own before all this. I can't stand either one of you, but it isn't her fault. I don't know what good it's gonna do any of you. I don't know how you can get to her."

"You could." Merle said suddenly.

Martinez shook his head again. "No. there's too many on guard. If I showed up with you then we'd both get gunned down. I told you what I know. That's all I'm willing to do to help. And I wasn't even going to do this much." He turned to walk out. Merle let him pass.

"What the fuck do we do?" Daryl asked as Carol buried her head in his shoulder and finally cried.

Merle took a deep breath. "We go make another round. It wont look suspicious. We're getting into that fuckin' buildin'."

Daryl nodded, blindly trusting his brother. Merle wasn't a praying man. He never had been. But in that moment he prayed that his brother wasn't making a mistake by trusting him.

~H~

Duane was covered in dust and cobwebs. Damn Carl probably was too but not as much as Duane. He was the one crawling through the shit head first. Carl was getting it all second hand.

"What if she's on another floor?" Carl asked from behind him.

Duane once again had to hold in a sneeze. His eyes were watering something fierce and he was having a hard time keeping from coughing. "If she is then I guess we'll have to get outta here and find some stairs."

"Every room we've had a view of so far has been empty. I hope we ain't wasting time. Time ain't on our side at the moment." Carl whispered worriedly.

"We're gonna find her, damn it! We have too." Duane snapped as he turned another sharp corner.

He let out a sigh of relief when he saw light shining from further down the shaft. This was a good sign. This was the first time they had came upon any sort of light. Every now and then he would take out the penlight just long enough for them to get their bearings and then he would keep on, letting blind faith lead his blind ass forwards.

"There's light up there. It's a good sign." He whispered.

~H~

Sophia almost panicked when she realized what she had done. She was dead now. Totally and irrevocably dead. And he wouldn't kill her quick for this either. This was going to be the thing that made the guy lose it completely. He was already most the way there as it was. Her mind was spinning. She had to do something.

Penny was on the floor, dark blood spilling from the wound in her eye. Sophia quickly opened the door and crawled into the small space. She didn't know what this space could have been used for before it had become Penny's prison, but it was deeper than it was wide. The back wall was about ten feet away from the door. She turned and worked her fingers through the bars, straining to get the door latched. When she finally managed to latch it she grabbed the body by the wrists and started pulling her further into the darkness of the small room. She leaned her against the wall.

This would buy her a little time. She wasn't sure what else to do. She paced the small space, every now and then a whimper would escape her lips. She still clutched the shard of glass, oblivious to the cuts she was causing to her own fingers and palm.

She tried to calm down but it was hard since she was pretty sure that soon she would be dead. Or maybe a replacement for Penny. Maybe he would kill her and let her turn so he could have another little girl to try to cure. She put her back against the wall and slid down, pulling her knees up to her chest. She suddenly thought back to that day at camp, it seemed so long ago, the day she had gotten up the nerve to ask Daryl if she could help him. She almost smiled when she recalled the look on his face. He didn't want her around, she knew it. Then he had protected her. Wouldn't let Ed get near her that day. He would have killed the man if he tried. And he had been there for her ever since.

She recalled the gleam in her moms eyes the day they left the CDC. She had been happy. Really happy. That was really the first time she had seen that look in her moms eyes and she never wanted to forget it. It didn't matter if she lived another twenty minutes or another hundred years, she wanted to always remember her moms face that morning.

Merle, lying in that bed. She had been so sure that he wouldn't make it. But he had. He'd proved to all of them what kind of man he really was. The way he looked after her and the boys. The way he looked at Maggie with that half scared look in his eyes, even now. She hoped she would live long enough to see that grin on his face every time she said or did something that made him proud.

Duane and Carl. She let a tear slip down her face. What would they do without her? It was suppose to always be the three of them. It was suppose to be the three of them taking on this crazy new world and _winning._ She hoped they would still win. They would beat this world, even if she wasn't there to see it happen.

Her mom and Daryl would be able to get through this. They had each other and they were strong. Maggie would be their for Merle and Duane and Carl would pull each other out of their sadness. She was so lucky. Even now she knew how lucky she was. She had a family, at least for a little while. A real family that was full of more love than most people ever get to even see, much less be a part of. Some people died without knowing love like that. She wouldn't be one of them.

She was scared. She could admit it now. She was terrified and she finally laid her forehead on her knees and sobbed like the little girl she had tried so hard to fight. She wasn't afraid for herself. She was afraid of the pain that this would cause her family.

She raised her head slowly when she heard the door open. She wiped the tears away on the back of her hand. This was it. She would give it everything she had. She would try to stay alive for them. But her odds were bad and her outcome seemed bleak. She took a deep breath. She hoped they knew how much she loved them all. Surely they did.

"What have you done, you little bitch!" She heard him roar. She flinched.

She kept herself silent as she scooted back against the wall, right next to Penny. There was no where else to go.

"Where are you!" He screamed.

She flinched again. He sounded completely unhinged now. The only thing she could hope for was that he would be so enraged that he made it quick. Maybe she wouldn't have to suffer.

She was still clutching the glass so she knew deep down she was also still clutching a small sliver of hope. Suddenly his head appeared behind the bars. "What have you done? What have you done? What have you done?" He chanted over and over. Panting out the words. He already knew that she had killed the thing he thought was his daughter. He ripped the door clean out of the wall and threw it.

She scooted away from Penny, who he was coming towards, like he didn't even notice Sophia was there at the moment. She tucked herself into the corner as he dropped to his knees and ripped off the thing that was covering the girls head.

"NO!" He screamed as he cradled the dead child in his arms. Sophia got up as fast as she could and ran. She ducked out of the doorway. But there was no where to go. She went to the door, trying the knob, knowing it was fruitless but having to try it anyway. She was surprised to still be alive. She had thought he would kill her as soon as he saw the dead girl. But he hadn't. Right now he was still in the small room. He was chanting her name now in broken sobs that she thought would cause her to lose her mind.

She banged on the door then. It was was made out of steel. No one was going to hear her. Either the room was nearly soundproof or wherever he had her was far enough away from other people that there was no one there to hear. But she pounded on the door anyway.

She felt his hand grab her hair before she heard him coming. She hadn't been listening, hoping he would stay lost in his grief until maybe someone came for her. But her luck had ran dry. He yanked her backwards by the hair and shoved her forwards. She collided with the chair and almost hit the floor but she righted herself just in time. She spun around and he was right there.

"You killed her." He snarled as he reached for her again. She dodged him quickly.

"She was already dead!" Sophia shrieked as she dodged him once more.

She spun around to face him right as he slipped in the putrid liquid covering part of the floor. He fell to his knees, yelling angrily.

She saw her opening then. She ran at him and brought up the glass that had mangled her palms. She was feeling it now, the stinging in burning in her palms. She plunged it into his eye, thinking that if it killed the Walker it would surely kill the man.

He screamed out in agony and pulled away before she could shove it all the way in. The tip of it broke as he jerked, leaving a jagged shard protruding from his eye socket.

She scurried away then, finally dropping the remainder of the glass to the floor. He was right behind her. She couldn't do this all night. He was going to eventually catch her. She just did what she could to keep the chairs between them but suddenly, with an angry roar, he picked up the smaller wooden chair that she had been tied too and threw it at her. It hit her solidly in the midsection and she doubled over in pain.

He was on her then, puffing and snarling like a rabid bear. He jerked her up and then started dragging her towards those tanks. She wasn't sure what he was about to do but she was afraid it had something to do with those heads and she didn't want to be anywhere near those things. He ripped the cover off the top of one and with another vicious snarl her plunged he head into the tank.

She tried to fight him. She kicked and she flailed but he wasn't to be budged. Her lungs were on fire, her eyes burning. Some of the liquid was getting into her mouth and the taste made her gag, causing her to suck in a mouth full of it into her lungs. Her body reflexively coughed up the liquid and then she sucked in even more. This was it. She was going to drown. Her very last thought before everything went dark was of her mom. Daryl had to find her body because this would kill her mom.

**I know, you all want to choke me for ANOTHER cliffhanger! But I only do it because I post often! I would never write one like this and then leave you hanging for weeks. If that ever happens you can be sure that something very bad has happened! I hope, if nothing else, I was able to get your hearts pumping a bit with this chapter. Don't forget to let me know, either review or pm, that you've read it so I'll know whether to post another one!**


	91. Chapter 91

**Okay, you guys. This one is the one that it was all building up too! I tried to make it exciting for you and I hope that it worked. I'm so so glad that ff fixed its issue with the emails. I was worried that you were all going to miss the last chapter I posted. Just in case some of you still didn't get a notification for it make sure you go read chapter 90 before you read this one because it's a pretty important one. This chapter wont make much sense if you don't read that one. A big thank you to everyone that reviewed! We have three more to go after this one. The last will be an epilogue and I am finishing that up tonight. I'm nervous about it but I really hope you like it. It will be a LONG epilogue from the way it is going so far. I'm sorry that a lot of you are sad to see it end. I'm kind of sad myself. But there is still a few chapters to enjoy before we call this one complete. You all are awesome! I'll never stop telling you that! Much love to you and I hope you all have a great Monday... if that's even possible! =)**

Chapter Ninety One

Duane let out a broken sound when he looked through the slits of the vent cover. He scrambled backwards and then turned and rolled onto his back.

"What's happening?" Carl croaked.

"He's killing her." Duane nearly yelled as he gave the cover a kick. It was an old building with old features. This wasn't just an aluminum square that you could go buy now days. This thing was heavy duty. He grunted as he kicked it again, not caring if that crazy son of a bitch heard him or not. "Fuck!" He snarled between his teeth. He pulled his knees up all the way to his chest and then kicked as hard as he could with both feet.

With a metalic ripping sound it finally popped off and clattered across the floor. He didn't hesitate. He had his gun out before he could even squirm out of the vent. Carl was right behind him.

"Let her go!" Carl yelled.

The man yanked Sophia's head out of the tank and both boys gasped when they saw her. She was limp, the only thing that held her up was his hand that was tangled up in her hair. She was so pale that Duane was sure she was dead. She was dead. They were too late.

He had his gun ready and aimed right at Philip's head but all he saw was Sophia's lifeless body and he hesitated. The one rule Merle had drilled into him over and over and he was breaking that rule. And that slight hesitation was enough for the man to react to these new developments. He threw her. He heaved her right at them like she was nothing but a worthless object. And then he heard Carl's gun hit the floor.

Carl grabbed at her body before it could hit the floor but her legs hit Duane, knocking the gun out of his hands before he could shoot the man. The weight of her lifeless form knocked Carl into the wall. Before Duane could grab for the gun Philip had his drawn already.

Duane just now noticed the mans face. The glass sticking out of his eye socket. He glanced down at Carl who was laying Sophia on her back on the floor.

"Jesus." Duane breathed and then looked away from her battered face. Her eyes were half open but there was nothing there. She was gone. They had failed.

"Jesus isn't going to help you today, son." Philip sneered.

~H~

Daryl and Merle followed Morgan into the building's back door. Morgan knew his way around the place but right now he wasn't going to be one of the men that was welcome inside. It was clear to Philip and the others which group Morgan was more loyal too. They went in quiet and low. They kept their ears strained for the sounds of footsteps or other men approaching.

They had decided that they didn't have a choice but to come here. If Martinez was sure that Philip wasn't going to hurt her then he would have never came to them to tell them where she was. But he had came. It had sealed their fate right then. Daryl didn't think twice about risking his own life to save Sophia's and Merle hadn't either.

Carol had nodded stiffly. There wasn't a choice anymore. The boys weren't even sure what building she was in and they could have been anywhere on their search for her. They didn't have the luxury to wait for them to find her. It had to be done now. Carol knew that. When him and Merle had decided to go in after her she hadn't argued.

Maggie hadn't argued either but her face had fallen under the weight of her fear and she clung to his brother like her life actually depended on his presence. It was a painful thing to watch but what Daryl's eyes found next was the unhidden grief in his own woman's eyes. She held her head high, knowing there was nothing that crying would accomplish.

"Bring our girl back, okay?" She had whispered. A few tears fell from her eyes then but she flicked them away bravely and then gave him a half smile. She hugged him hard when he pulled her to him.

Now they were here. Hoping against hope that they could get to her before he hurt her. Hoping also that they weren't gunned down. They hadn't discussed what they were suppose to do if they did get spotted. Daryl figured they'd just figure it out when it happened. He had his bow ready.

Morgan stopped when he reached an intersection. He put a finger to his lips and gestured towards his left. There was someone coming from that direction. Daryl could hear it now. It sounded like it was only one set of footsteps. He readied the bow. As soon as the person came into view he pulled the trigger, not caring who he killed. It was the big guy they had fought that first night. He dropped like a stone. No one cried out so he had been alone. Morgan picked up the rifle the man had been carrying but Merle took it from him. Morgan didn't even try to argue with him.

Merle motioned for Daryl to take point while Morgan gave quiet directions from the back. He was pretty certain he knew where Philip had taken the girl. Daryl froze in the hallway when he heard gunshots. They weren't coming from inside. They were coming from the street. He was instantly conflicted. Carol was out there, but Sophia was in here. He glanced up at Merle.

"What the fuck is goin' on?" Daryl hissed.

Merle looked just as torn as he felt. "I think that's our women, brother. Their creatin' a diversion." he rasped. "We gotta keep goin'."

Daryl cursed under his breath. It was a smart move. With chaos going on outside the men in here would soon be out there to see what was going on. He should have thought of that himself. It was a smart move, sure, but once this was over he was going to kick that woman's ass all over Woodbury. Rick or T-dog would have gladly done this themselves.

They were almost running now, sure that if any men stayed behind to guard the door where Morgan thought Philip was holding Sophia, they would be easily dispatched. But that wasn't anything that they had to worry about. The hallway was deserted, gunfire outside was still going strong, and Daryl was pretty sure that all of this was going to give him a heart attack. It was bad enough worrying about Sophia, but the thought of both of them in danger wasn't something that he could deal with very well, and then he knew how Carol must have felt when he came here to begin with. To her, the loss of both of them was very real. He was getting a dose of his own medicine.

The door was locked, like they knew it would be. Daryl nodded to Merle and stepped to the side and raised the bow as Merle stood back, balancing the rifle just right and then shooting out the lock. Daryl kicked the door open just then taking everything in in just a half second.

Carl was on the floor, hovering over a body, his mind dismissed it as Sophia's, while Duane had his back to the wall, eyes wide. Philip stood in front of him, most likely aiming a gun but Daryl couldn't tell. That was just an assumption. Nothing else would have made that boy look so scared.

Daryl pulled the trigger but his unsteady hands were off so instead of hitting the man in the head the bolt hit him in the shoulder. As soon as it did the gun went off. For a split second he thought he had just caused Duane to get shot but the bullet hit the wall right next to his ear. As soon as the boy realized what was going on he launched himself at the stunned man, who kept a firm grip on his gun. Duane didn't hesitate though, he headbutted Philip right in the face and then knocked the gun out of his hand.

Merle ran forward then. "Oh fuck! DARYL!" He roared as he saw what Carl was doing.

Daryl ran into the room then, finally realizing who the body on the floor belonged too. Merle's shoulders were hunched and he turned his head slowly when Daryl reached his side. The man's eyes were glazed, face flaming, breath coming out in loud bursts that escaped his mouth in gutteral pants. Daryl felt the floor under his knees as Merle turned and then nearly threw Duane off the man.

"WHY?" Merle screamed into Philips face. Daryl watched as Merle released the knife from his arm and plunged it into Philips side.

Philip gasped and then Merle pulled the knife back out. "That hurt? You son of a bitch, I'm gonna make this slow." He growled between each loud breath that escaped his throat.

Daryl forced his gaze back to the girl on the floor. Her face was battered pretty bad and her lips were blue, her eyes were open just a crack. Just enough for him to see that there was no life there. None. He was too late.

Carl pinched her nose shut, tilted her head back and pressed his lips to hers. For a second he wasn't sure what the boy was trying to do but then he saw the rise and fall of her chest as he tried to breath life back into her. How long had she been like this? The boy quickly moved and started using his hands to restart the still heart.

Carl was counting out loud, his face a determined mask despite the tears that were overwhelming him. "Breath. Please breath." He choked and the sound of despair in the boys voice cut through the fog in Daryl's brain. What had been numb was now a twisting dark sea of emotions. Carl breathed for her again and now he could hear the sick liquid sound her lungs made every time Carl's breath filled them. "Breath." Carl choked. "You never listen! Just breath. Please breath." He was losing it. Daryl registered that as he turned his head and threw up on the floor.

There was another wet sound behind him as Merle worked on Philip. Daryl didn't have the energy to even turn around. He needed to do something. He needed to help Carl or he needed to be enraged like his brother. But all he felt was pain. Waves of it, the loss was too much, crushing him, suffocating him. He had known loss in his life but nothing like this. Nothing that made him feel like his insides were being shredded. He had never fully grasped the meaning of the word heartbreak until now. His chest felt heavy and ached like nothing he had ever felt before. He watched her face for a few seconds and then pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to block out the image.

"Please, please, please," Carl chanted. Daryl wasn't looking but he could hear the wet sound as another breath filled her lungs. "Not you. You can't go. Please don't go."

God, the pain in that boys voice was cutting Daryl's insides up even more.

"Breath!" The boy shrieked as he worked on her chest once more. "Goddamn it! For once just listen to me and fucking breath!" He sobbed as he pressed on.

"Does it hurt? Tell me it hurts, mother fucker!" Merle grunted as he continued on with his mutilation of the man that had taken Sophia from them all.

Duane was on his knees next to Daryl. He hadn't even realized he was there until he heard him sobbing. His face was in his hands.

"_Breath._" Carl urged

"_Tell me it hurts!_" Merle growled once more.

"_She's gone, isn't she? We were too late. We didn't get here in time and now she's dead._" Duane sobbed.

Every distinct voice, every small sound in the room was swirling through Daryl's mind like they were all screaming into his ears. And then suddenly there was silence. Everything stopped. Everyone held their breaths because there was one small sound that cut through all the emotions that they were all unleashing at once. A cough.

Daryl's head shot up just in time to see a frantic Carl roll Sophia over onto her side. He was slamming the heel of his hand into her back, forcing rivers of liquid from her lungs. Merle left Philip and crawled over to where Daryl was watching. Duane shot up and hurried to Carl's side.

He couldn't believe the water that was pouring out of the girl. Her eyes were wide now as she spewed more and more from her lungs. Her back was to Carl and the boy continued to pound the water out of her. They could all hear Philip groaning and gasping behind them. Merle hadn't finished him off yet. He had wanted the man to suffer.

She finally grew still once more. Carl, who looked shaken and exhausted as he sat on his knees behind her started smoothing her wet hair out of her face. She slowly reached her hand up and caught his, she stared straight ahead still, not even blinking. Daryl was so stunned he didn't know where his voice was and he couldn't move from the spot he was rooted too.

How long had she been...? He couldn't even think the word. Was she going to be okay? Was there going to be something wrong with her brain? Jesus. "Sophia?" He finally choked.

She slowly started to sit up then. Merle let his arms drop to his sides, one making a banging sound as it hit the tile.

Carl helped her sit up as she took in all the faces in the room. Merle was the closest to her other than Carl, who now had one arm around her waist. She frowned when she searched Merle's face and then one trembling hand came up and rested on his cheek. Merle dropped his head then, his wide shoulders dropping like he'd just had a weight lifted off him that had been a crushing burden. She blinked and then let her hand drop.

She started coughing again, grimacing in pain and leaning her back into Carl who dropped his head onto her shoulder. Daryl finally gained enough composure to shuffled a little closer to her and when she was finished with her coughing fit she opened her eyes and they locked onto his. They were bloodshot and heavy lidded but the corners of her mouth twitched up slightly.

She quickly made her way to him, with Carl's help and when her skinny arms were finally wrapped around his neck, he let himself relax. He let go of all of it. He knew now why Merle had dropped his head the way he had. He did the same thing. The weight that lifted from him was huge. He made it a point to pay close attention to the rise and fall of her chest against his. She was breathing. She was alive. She was okay.

He looked past her towards Carl. The boy was watching her intently and then Philip made another wretching sound and Daryl saw the boys eyes come alive. Fury was etched on every feature of his face. He looked the same way Merle had when he had found Sophia on the floor. His head snapped up and he scowled. Suddenly there was a knife in his hand and he was on his feet in seconds, rushing towards the man on the floor.

He straddled him and all Daryl could see was Carl lift the knife over his head in a two handed grip and then, in a powerful downward motion, he plunged the knife into Philips face. He did it again and again, lost somewhere inside himself, until Duane pulled him away. He was breathing heavily but he let Duane pull him further away from the body.

"Is my mom freaking out?" Sophia asked into his neck. Her voice was so rough that he knew it was painful for her to even speak. He stiffened. He had forgotten. Seeing her lying there like that had rendered his mind useless. But he remembered now. He stiffened and she slowly lifted her head from his shoulder.

"Go." She breathed, like she knew her mom was in trouble.

The color was returning to her face. She was looking more herself even though her chin was trembling, her teeth where chattering.

"Carl!" Daryl nearly yelled. "Give her your coat. Stay with her until we come back for you. You understand me?"

Carl was up and taking the jacket off faster than Daryl thought he would. His eyes were on Sophia once more. This was something that the boy wouldn't get over quickly. Technically Sophia died. They had all seen her body. That would leave deep scars in all of them. She let the boy help her up and then walk her to the far corner. Her whole body was shaking from shock and probably from just being cold. He sat down on the floor, pulling her down with him and then he wrapped the jacket around her shoulders as she burrowed into him with chattering teeth.

Carl put his hands up. "I'm just gonna try to keep her warm." He said as Daryl watched.

Daryl nodded and stood up. "Boy, she wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you. You brought her back from the dead. Keep her safe, you got it?"

Carl wrapped his arms around her then.

Sophia frowned. She didn't say anything as she laid the side of her head on the boys chest. Her eyes closed but Daryl wasn't worried.

Morgan agreed to stay with the kids so Merle gave him the rifle back. If anyone came then he was to shoot them and if he couldn't find it in himself to do the job then Duane would.

~H~

Carol and Andrea ducked into the doorway of one of the buildings, both breathing heavily.

"I'm out." Carol cursed as she gazed down at the gun in her hand. "What the hell do we do now?"

Andrea looked past her, towards the street and then shook her head. "I'm starting to think this might have been a bad idea."

"Well, it wasn't my idea." Carol said as she peered out at the street.

Just after Merle and Daryl had left out someone else showed up. A dark skinned woman with a sword and dreadlocks. Just like the kids had described. They had all been about to go to Randal's room so they could talk without Philips men hearing them. She had showed up out of nowhere, silent and intense and barely glancing at any of them. She had went straight to Randal's room without saying a word. She was brave, Carol gave her that. The others were there by then. Rick, T-dog, Glen, everyone. They all followed the new woman into the room. They were going to ask Randal if he could identify the men who had caught him but then when he saw the woman all his attention was on her.

"You made it. I knew them dumb shits wouldn't catch you." Randal said with a grin. "Oh, hey, this is Michonne. The one the kids done told you about."

She eyed the rest of them. "Surprised you're all still alive." She noted dryly as she took in their wary faces.

Maggie had grabbed Carol's hand as Rick stepped forward. The woman tensed at his proximity. "Why did they try to kill you?" He asked.

She scowled. "Because I tried to leave. I went snooping around where I didn't belong. Found out that they were doin' a whole lot of killin' outside these walls. I called him out on it and he denied it. He let me leave through the gates but then had his men hunt me down out there. You're kids found me."

"Why did the two of you come back here?" Rick asked.

She shrugged. "The kid here was worried about his people. I told him you were probably all dead by now but he wouldn't listen. I'm ending this, though. I'm ending this tonight."

"The hell you are." Rick growled as he took a step towards her. Before anyone even noticed her moving she had the sward out and had the tip of it pressed against Rick's throat. Rick put his hands up and took a step back.

"This man tried to kill me. He's killed others and he isn't going to stop on his own. Him and his men are dying tonight." She said in a low voice.

Rick was about to say something but T-dog cut him off. "She's right."

Every pair of eyes in the room went to him. He lifted his chin. "We've put up with enough. If I have to listen to Merle Dixon tell me what to do for one more day I'm gonna hang my damn self."

Carol's head shot up then. One of the things that Morgan had been so worried about was how many men would be guarding the room where Philip was keeping Sophia. If they started shooting up the town then the men guarding Sophia wouldn't have a choice but to leave their post and then Daryl and Merle could get to her without getting themselves killed.

"If we go out there and just start shooting they wont know what the hell is going on at first. We'll be able to take out a whole lot before they even get their bearings." She glanced around at everyone gaping at her. "We can do this!" She hissed.

Maggie took one look at her and knew exactly what she was doing. She nodded. "We can."

Carol didn't give anyone a chance to argue. She left the room, Maggie and Andrea on her heels.

"Carol?" Andrea said as she put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure about this?"

Carol just nodded and handed Maggie a gun. Andrea took one herself.

"Beth and Amy need to stay here. I wont risk my sister and I don't think Maggie will either. The men can come with us." Andrea said, her gaze was hard, like now she was determined to make this work.

The rest of them followed suit. The men silently getting their own guns ready, faces grim. Daryl and Merle were going to kill them when this was over. Unless they got killed before they had a chance but Carol shook that thought from her mind. That wasn't going to happen.

They had spilled out of the building and all headed in different directions. Some crouching in doorways, other behind the few cars that were parked out on the street. They just had to hope that the civilians kept their asses in their houses. If not then they would get caught in the crossfire and there would be nothing Carol or the others could do about it.

It had worked. She was almost in the throws of a panic attack but she aimed and then she fired the first shot. One of the men dropped from the wall. The other men were too stunned to do anything and her group was quick to take her lead.

Maggie and Andrea were still close when the men on the wall finally realized what was happening. They returned fire. Most of their guns were a lot more powerful than anything that Carol or her people had. But they had dropped several of the men on the wall. Her group hadn't expected more men to come running from the other end of the town. They had suddenly found themselves trapped between Philips men.

Her and Andrea had somehow lost Maggie in the chaos but they had managed to stay together. They had no idea where the rest of their group was but there were still shots being fired. She hoped they hadn't lost anyone but now her and Andrea were pretty much trapped in the doorway of a building, unarmed, with men coming towards them from both sides.

Andrea spun around and checked the door. It was locked, of course. Carol almost screamed when two men dashed into their hiding space. Her blood ran cold when she realized who it was. Martinez eyed her, the man behind him had always been kind, however, she didn't know how kind he would be after all of this. He was the redheaded man with the Irish accent.

Martinez grabbed her arm roughly and shoved her back into the door next to Andrea. "You and your people are a bunch of fucking idiots." He glared at her as he let go of her arm.

She was about to try to fight him, even though that was a really stupid idea, but she wouldn't die cowering. She would go out fighting. She was about to try to knee him again, since that seemed to have work out for her the last time, when she heard another man's voice.

"You caught us a couple of pretty ones Martinez." The man sneered.

Carol hadn't seen him around much, or the two other guys that he was standing with. Martinez gave her a hard look before he turned to face the three men.

"That's right." He sneered.

Carol and Andrea both yelled when suddenly the small space was filled with gunfire. Martinez and the Irishman both opened fire on the three men standing there. They never seen it coming. Neither had Carol or Andrea.

"What the hell was _that?_" Andrea asked as she grabbed Carol's arm.

Martinez turned his head and flashed a sideways smile. "You think all these men are going against you?" He shook his head and let his gaze travel to Carol. "That crazy redneck brother in law of yours has himself quite a following around these parts. Half those men out there have turned on their own. They're fighting _with_ your group. Not against them."

Carol's jaw dropped. "What?" She breathed.

He nodded. "You heard me."

"But you hate the Dixon's." She said as she covered Andrea's hand with her own.

He rolled his eyes. "God, I really fucking do."

"But you just saved us. And you told us where Sophia was." Carol argued.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm a realist, honey. Those men didn't stand a chance. I had to pick a side. I decided to pick the side that was gonna win."

Carol just stared at him.

He gestured towards the street with his head. "Let's go assess the damage, ladies. But stay behind us. We don't know who's left out there."

Carol and Andrea shared a look and then they both nodded.

They stayed behind the two men and walked down the middle of the street cautiously. The men were leading them to the building where their rooms were. Carol just happened to glance over just as Daryl and Merle stormed out of the Town Hall building. They both looked murderous and Carols stomach twisted when Merle spotted them walking with the two men. Daryl instantly lifted the crossbow and then Carol found herself moving in front of Martinez, blocking any shot that Daryl could make.

He dropped the crossbow and then started storming towards them, his face was a mask of rage and she knew she was really going to get an ear full. Just as him and Merle reached the street more gunfire erupted. Martinez grabbed her by the back of the shirt and dragged her towards their building just as Merle and Daryl dropped to a crouch and scurried back towards the shadows between two buildings on the other side of the street.

Where you goin' Dixon?" A man yelled from down the street.

Carol yanked herself away from Martinez when she saw the man. He was one of the guys that Daryl and Merle had fought. Apparently Daryl had punched him in the groin on their first night. But he wasn't the only one standing there. He was holding onto someone. Carol cursed as Merle emerged from the shadows and stood in the middle of the street. The man had Maggie.

Martinez had a hold of Carol again, keeping her from rushing into the street with Merle. Maggie looked like she was okay until she saw Merle. As soon as she saw that Merle was standing there, right in the line of fire, she started to fight.

"You got me, asshole. Let her go." Merle yelled as he raised his arms to show the man he wasn't armed.

Daryl stepped out then. He wasn't going to let his brother be killed right there in front of him.

Maggie was kicking and screaming, the man was holding onto her by the hair with one hand and had a gun pressed to her head with his other.

As soon as Carol saw Daryl step out into the street she tried once more to break the hold Martinez had on her. He grunted when she kicked him in the shin but he held on, then she felt another hand on her. Andrea pulled her back and wrapped her arms around her from behind.

"You think I'm stupid? As soon as I let go of your little whore here, I'm dead. I want you to come with me." The big man laughed. "Both of ya!"

Merle took a step forward and then stopped. Something changed in his face. Even from her vintage point, where only the side of his face was visible she could see it. And then Daryl's face changed also. She followed their gazes towards Maggie and the man.

"Holy mother of God." Martinez breathed.

The man that had Maggie didn't realize what was about to happen. He never saw it coming. Never heard a thing. One minute he was standing there holding onto Maggie and grinning wickedly at Merle and the next minute his head hit the grown.

Michonne was standing behind him. She put the sword away and then she walked off. Maggie took off running towards Merle as soon as the man dropped his grip from her hair, she didn't even know what had happened. She was probably expecting to get shot in the back.

She flung herself into Merle's arms and he instantly hugged her tightly before dragging her towards Carol and the others. Daryl was already marching their way, face enraged once more.

She put herself, once again, in front of Martinez. "Daryl wait." She said as she put a hand to his chest. She felt his heart hammering against her palm. "Please. He saved me. He saved Andrea and I. He shot his own men before they could kill us."

Daryl was still scowling but he did stop his advance on the other man. He finally noticed the man that Merle always called Red was standing there too. "So what, you two go all good guy on us to save your own asses?"

"Pretty much." Martinez said with a shrug.

"And who the fuck was that? Who the fuck just chops off a guys head and then walks away like nothin' ever happened?" Daryl asked as he gestured down the street.

"Daryl!" Carol snapped.

He looked at her then and she noticed how red his eyes were, her head turned towards Merle and he was looking at her with a strange look on his face, his eyes too were red rimmed and slightly swollen.

"Sophia?" She breathed and then took an involuntary step away from them. Away from them and the news that she was sure they were about to deliver. Unfortunately she backed herself right into Martinez, who actually put a comforting hand on her back.

"She's fine now." Daryl grumbled. His teeth were clenched and he was glaring at the other man again.

"Little brother, we wouldn't have found'em in time if it wasn't for Martinez. Best not be forgettin' that." Merle said after he got a good look at Daryl's face.

Carol let out a breath she hadn't realized that she had been holding. "She's okay?"

He shared a loaded look with Merle and then nodded. "She's fine."

"And Philip?" She asked.

"Dead." Merle said in a flat voice.

Carol couldn't stand it anymore. She knew something else was going on but she didn't know what it could be. She was about to ask him if he would just take her to the girl but just as she opened her mouth to speak she saw that the rest of their group was coming towards them.

**Okay, be honest. How many of you thought that I was going to kill off the lovely Sophia for good? Show of hands? Remember, I am rough around the edges but on the inside I am all about happy rainbows and glitter and ponies and junk ;) I learned CPR when I was in the sixth grade so if anyone is wandering why Carl is the one that saved her, that is why. And I thought that him saving her would be better than if the Dixon's did, just because. i don't know why. I could see Merle going ape shit and Daryl freezing. So go Carl! Hope you liked this! Let me know what you think!**


	92. Chapter 92

**I meant to post this earlier but I fell asleep. I think my brain is telling me that insomnia is over since this story is about done. I'm still writing the epilogue. It is turning into a very long chapter. Takes me back to the old Fighting Back days ;) But hopefully it will be worth it. The next few chapters are just settle down chapters. A few key things happen that make the epilogue flow better. I wont call them fillers. I want to thank you for all the time you've spent on this story! It means a lot! And the reviews have been amazing and all the follows and favorites really keep me going. I hope you all have a great day! =)**

Chapter Ninety Two

Sophia wasn't sleeping but she wasn't all the way awake either. She was warm now and she was comfortable despite the pain. There was a lot of that. Her wrists and her face hurt. Her head was aching painfully but the worst was her lungs. Every breath was painful. She wasn't even sure what had happened. It was bad, whatever it was because the look on their faces when she had woken up was something she would never forget. It would haunt her forever.

She could hear the steady throb of Carl's heart under her ear and almost felt embarrassed about being so close to him. Almost. The truth was, all she wanted to do was be close to him. Not just him but all of them. She had been so sure that she would never see them again and to know that he was right there with her was making her feel better. Not just physically better but better on the inside.

"How is she?" Duane whispered.

She opened her eyes and turned her head slightly so she could look at him. "I don't know how you guys can stand the smell of me." She grimaced at the pain in her throat. It felt like she was been swallowing glass and her voice wasn't even her own. It was rough and scratchy.

She pulled her knees up so Dunane could set down next to Carl. When he sat down she draped her legs across his lap. He smiled and patted her knee and then looked her in the eye. He tried to smile but it dropped and he frowned. His eyes grew moist and he looked away.

"Do you have any idea how scared we were?" He whispered, still looking down.

"Probably about as scared as I was." She whispered. Whispering was much easier. It hurt less.

He nodded, the corners of his mouth pulling up slightly. "I'm sorry. We shoulda got here sooner." He ran a hand over his face and then finally looked at her once more. "You were dead." He looked away again. "If we'd have gotten here sooner..." He shook his head.

"What?" She asked, lifting her head from Carl's chest and looking at them both. Her head felt heavy so she laid it back down. Dead? What the hell were they talking about?

"You weren't breathing. No heartbeat. Dead." His voice caught and he grabbed her hand. She gave his a squeeze.

What the hell? He wasn't making any sense. She wasn't dead. She was right here. He had her hand, he was talking to her, why was he saying she had died. "I wasn't dead, Duane. I'm right here. I'm banged up is all." she whispered.

He looked up at Carl and then his eyes met hers. "Ask him. You were dead. Me, Merle, Daryl... we just sat there like a bunch of idiots while you were laying there dead."

She frowned. "You aren't making any sense, Duane."

"Carl brought you back." he shook his head. "He was tryin' to bring you back and all the rest of could do was sit there."

Sophia felt her heart start to race. What was he saying? She had died? The last thing she remembered was Philip shoving her head into that tank. She remembered pain in her chest as the water filled her lungs but then she didn't remember anything else until she woke up, choking all that water out of her body. "I don't understand." She whispered.

"By the time we got here it was too late. He had your head shoved in that tank and when he pulled you out you were gone. All the way gone. By the time Merle and Daryl and my dad came you were just lying there. Dead on the floor."

"Duane." Carl said firmly but the other boy was completely lost in his memories of what had happened. He wasn't listening to anyone.

"Carl wouldn't stop though. The rest of us knew it was too late but he just kept going. Kept breathing for you, kept trying to get your heart to beat again." Duane's voice was barely audible.

Sophia squeezed his hand again to comfort him but she was reeling on the inside. No heartbeat. She had been dead. And the person that hadn't given up had been _Carl_. He had saved her? Brought her back from the dead. Jesus, she could have turned right then. Turned while he was trying to bring her back and then she could have bitten him! God, sometimes he did the dumbest stuff.

"Carl, that was dangerous. You shouldn't have done that!" She admonished him quietly.

This seemed to snap Duane out of his intense musings because his head turned toward her slowly and his eyebrows came up. A real smile tugged at his lips now.

She felt Carl's forehead hit the top of her head gently. "You've been alive again for less than half an hour and you're already bitching. Now I know you're really okay." He sounded amused but she was serious.

"I could have turned. I could have bitten you." She said as she lifted her head again. God her head felt heavy.

He stared at her, really stared, right into her eyes, for a long time. So long that all she wanted to do was put her head back down because holding it up was too hard. When his eyes left hers he studied her face carefully. "I wasn't gonna let you go, stupid."

Duane chuckled and she finally looked away from Carl in time to see the other boy lean the back of his head against the wall. "Oh, it's good to have you back." He sighed.

She just frowned at them both and then laid her head back down. She sighed. He had really saved her life. The others thought she was gone and he had saved her anyway. It almost made her want to cry but she had done enough of that today. Or tonight. She wasn't sure what time it could have been. She felt his arms tighten around her. "Thanks, Carl. I don't know what else to say but thanks."

"You could kiss him again." Duane suggested with a smirk. He was returning to normal faster than Sophia would have liked. He was such a smart ass. Like a Merle Junior.

"Shut up, Duane." She grumbled. "I didn't kiss him."

"Whatever you say cousin." he kept that trademark smirk on his face.

~H~

They had lost no one. None. Not one person from his group had died tonight. Daryl couldn't believe it. A bullet had grazed Rick's arm and Glen had taken a bullet in the thigh but Hershel and Milton were working on them both and they seemed to be in pretty good shape. Other than those two everyone else was fine. And Daryl just couldn't believe it.

Merle was now doing the gruesome job of making sure everyone that had been killed were actually dead. He was having way too much fun with the new toy strapped to his arm. He was off stabbing dead bodies in the head with it. Sick bastard liked it too. Maggie followed him, not seeming to be bothered in the least by what he was doing.

After sending everyone out to check the other buildings, just in case anyone else was hiding, Daryl finally was able to lead Carol off to get Sophia. She still didn't know everything that had happened to Sophia. He figured maybe he needed to tell her before she saw the girl. It would be a big shock for her to just walk in and see her daughter like that without any warning.

He grabbed her arm and stopped her before they could reach the room. "Hey." He said gently.

She turned to face him. Fear etched once again on her face. She wasn't going to believe that Sophia was alive until she saw her for herself. She was still waiting on him to drop some sort of bomb on her. "What?" She whispered.

"She's fine as far we know but she don't look too good. I just want you to be ready for that." he muttered.

"What happened to her. What did you guys see when you found her?" Carol asked as she took a steadying breath and then straightened her shoulders. He could see that she was fighting back tears.

"Duane and Carl made it to her first. They came in through a vent." He took a deep breath himself. "When they got into the room he was..."

The look of horror that came across her face had him stumbling over his words "He was drowning her. He had these tanks full of heads and he was drowning her." he wasn't sure what other horrors she could have been imagining.

She covered her mouth with her hand and then her head turned towards the way they had been heading.

"The boys stopped him." he went on. "When me and Merle got there Duane and Merle took Philip down and Carl..."

"Daryl please. Just tell me what happened." She begged, her eyes wet and afraid.

"Carl had to bring her back. She was dead and he..."

"Oh my God." She gasped and took a step away.

"He brought her back. She's okay. She's alive, okay? I saw her myself. But she looks bad. He must of beat on her. She's real banged up. But she's fine."

"He didn't..." She looked down and when she looked back up again her chin was trembling and she was doing all she could to hold herself together. "He didn't _touch_ her, did he?"

His eyes dropped to the floor and he shook his head. "It didn't seem that way. She was dressed. I don't think he did _that._"

"But she wasn't breathing when you got there? You saw her? She was dead?" her voice broke and her whole body seemed to tremble on that last word.

He pulled her to him and crushed her to his chest. She seemed smaller than she was as she sobbed into his shirt. "She's fine. She's here and she's fine." He said quietly in her ear. He was starting to think that maybe he shouldn't have told her about that. But she would have found out eventually. May as well get it all out there now so there wouldn't be any nasty surprises later.

She pulled her face back and searched his eyes. "Carl? Carl Grimes?" She choked. "How?"

"CPR. He just wouldn't stop. Even after I thought that it was too late. He just kept goin'." He shook his head. "Then she just... came back. Scariest fuckin' thing I ever had to see in my life. Seemed like everybody in the room was out of their mind. I was. Merle, Merle was a mess, Duane was breakin' down, but Carl." He blew out a breath. "That boy wasn't gonna let her go."

"Let's go." She whispered as she wiped her tears away and took his hand.

Morgan was standing in the hall, outside the door. He nodded to them as they approached.

"How's she doin'?" Daryl asked.

Morgan smiled. "She was givin' Carl hell about somethin' just a bit ago. I think she'll be just fine."

Daryl almost smiled. She should give that poor boy a break. They had all had a rough night. When they entered the room Carol gasped and backed into him. He had forgotten how bad it really was in the room. There was a severed head sitting a few feet away from Philip's mutilated body. The heads in the tank stared on blindly. The smell was bad. Philips blood hadmixed up with the stinking water on the floor and made for a grizzly site.

Duane was just lowering his gun when Daryl spotted him. They were all three there. Sophia was still halfway on Carl's lap, the jacket and the boys arms were still wrapped around her. She must not have given him too much hell if she was still there. Her head was on his chest, her eyes closed.

Once Carol spotted her she didn't hesitate anymore. She hurried over to them and knelt down in front of them.

"Sophia?" She said quietly as she touched the side of the girl's face gently.

Sophia opened her eyes and lifted her head. When she looked at Carol full on the woman's head dropped and a sob escaped her throat. The girl's face was bruised pretty badly, the corner of her lip was split, one eye swollen slightly.

"Mom." Sophia frowned. "I'm okay." She reached up with a shaky hand and touched Carol's face.

Carol wasn't sure what to do. It looked like she was too afraid to touch her, like she would break. She covered Sophia's hand with her own. "We need to get you home. Get you cleaned up and then Hershel and Milton can take a look at you." She said in a voice that cracked with emotion.

She stood up and Duane followed suit. Carl unwound his arms from around her and Duane was pulling her up before Daryl could even reach her. She stood there on unsteady legs for a second. She looked like she would have fallen over had Duane not been holding her up. Carl stood up too, arm going around her once more.

Carol knelt down and hugged her then. Sophia was smiling weakly when she finally pulled away. "I want a shower. Now." She said in that gravely voice. "You wouldn't believe how disgusting I feel."

"We've been the one's smelling you. We believe it." Carl smirked as she glared at him.

"This whole saving my life thing is only going to go so far, Carl." She muttered dryly.

Daryl was getting impatient. She was clutching her middle tightly and he wanted to get her to Hershel and Milton as soon as he could. She wasn't very steady on her feet either, although both boys were helping her stand. He stepped forward and scooped her up. "Alright, let's get the fuck outta this place." He grumbled.

"Daryl, I'm not a baby. Put me down. I can walk." She mumbled.

"Shut up." He smirked. "Always gotta be givin' a man a hard way to go, girl."

Her lips turned up as her eyes slipped shut. It felt good to have her close. He still was having a hard time pushing the image of her lying on that floor out of his head. That was something that would be seared into his mind forever. He didn't think he would ever forget her face. Eyes half open. Unseeing and cold. He shook off the chill that ran up his back.

Carl and Duane followed after them as Carol and Morgan lead the way. When they made it outside Merle and Maggie were there along with Rick and Lori. They hadn't known about the boys role in all this until later. Daryl had been surprised that neither of them had had much to say about it. They were mostly concerned about Sophia.

Merle was having a hard time looking at the girl. He studied her sleeping face for a few long seconds and then he looked away. Maggie smiled as they made their way by.

"I'll go get daddy and Milton." She said as she pulled Merle along with her.

"I'll get her washed up. Tell them to meet us up there in about twenty minutes. She seems to be fine. I just want them to look her over just to make sure." Carol said. She hurried to catch up with Daryl.

~H~

Carol sat on the edge of the tub in Sophia and Beth's bathroom. She scrubbed the girls hair, careful with the large bump on the back of her head. She hadn't done this in years but she couldn't stand to be away from her at the moment. She tried not to think about it but she couldn't help it. She had lost her. Her daughter had died and had it not been for Carl then right now she would be in mourning instead of sitting there with her hands in her daughters hair.

She had more bruises that no one else had been aware of. Her stomach was bruised pretty badly. Sophia had told them that the man had thrown a chair at her. Daryl had barely been able to contain his anger and as soon as they had shut the door to their room, leaving him in there alone while Carol helped Sophia wash up in her own room, they heard a loud crash and then another. That bit of news had been the straw that broke the camels back. Carol was pretty sure that they would probably be looking for another room after this. But she didn't blame him. Every time something bad happened to her or Sophia he blamed himself. He hadn't been able to protect Sophia and a part of him wouldn't forgive himself for it. In a way she hated that about him but deep down, knowing that her and Sophia's safety was his main priority made her feel more safe than she had ever felt in her life. More secure than she ever thought she would be.

"You feel any better?" Carol asked as she rinsed the shampoo out of her daughters hair.

Sophia wiped water out of her eyes and nodded. "I don't think I've every felt so gross."

Her face looked much better after she was cleaned up. Carol had questions for her but wasn't sure how to ask. Daryl said that he didn't think that the man had touched her but she had to know. "Sophia?" She asked.

The girl rested the side of her face on her knees and looked at her questioningly.

"I know that you've been through a lot tonight and you probably don't want to answer any questions but I need to know something."

"Okay." Sophia muttered as she watched Carol struggle with her words.

"We know that that man did a lot. He hit you and he..." She cleared her throat, "Well, he basically drowned you. But did he do anything else? Did he..."

Understanding dawned on the girls face. "No mom. Nothing like that." She muttered. "The only reason he hit me was because I didn't have the good sense to keep from pissing him off. He never would have done... _that_."

"Then why did he do this? Why did he take you to begin with?" Carol asked, tears of relief flooding her eyes.

"His daughter was locked up in that room. She was a Walker and he thought he could bring her back. He tried to make her remember who she was. He didn't understand that she was gone. Or he didn't want to understand. He wanted me to try to get her to remember."

Carol couldn't help but shudder. The man had been out of his mind. How had they not seen how unhinged he was?

"And I think he chose me because of how much he didn't like Daryl." She said in a tired voice. "Bein' a Dixon is hard, mom." She smiled.

Carol felt her lips start to turn up. "Well, it is a lot of work. But I think you've done them both proud."

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Let's hope. But you have too, ya know? I still can't believe you kicked Martinez in the nuts. That was impressive, mom. You've come a long way yourself."

There was a soft knock on the door and then Beth stuck her head in. "You got company, Sophia."

"Hershel?" Carol asked.

Beth shook her head. "The boys."

"Tell'em she'll be out soon." Carol said with a soft smile.

When Beth shut the door Sophia rolled her eyes again. "They wont ever leave me alone after this."

"I think you're right. And you should consider yourself lucky you have them. I've never seen a group of kids so close in all my life. You put them through a big scare tonight."

Sophia nodded and laid her face back down on her knees. She looked thoughtful for a few seconds and then her eyes met Carol's. "Carl saved my life tonight." She whispered.

Carol felt her heart lurch at the thought but she kept her face calm. "I know he did. And I wont ever be able to repay that boy."

"Me neither." She whispered.

The girl looked troubled now. Carol figured that she had every right to look that way but she couldn't help but ask. "You sure you're okay?" She asked.

Sophia nodded and then raised her head up and sighed. "I kissed him once." She said suddenly.

Carol stared at her face for a long time, unable to think of anything to say. This wasn't good news. She figured she would have at least a few years before she had to worry about this. She knew it was inevitable but it caught her off guard. Sophia took in her face. She probably looked as stunned as she felt.

"It wasn't on purpose or anything and it wasn't anything like the way you and Daryl kiss each other sometimes. It was an accident."

Carol felt her face flush. "Oh? And how do you go about managing to kiss your best friend on accident?" She asked, trying to hide her embarrassment she felt from the barb about her and Daryl and how they kissed.

Sophia shrugged her slender shoulders. "It just happened."

Carol nodded. "It isn't something that you two do... a lot, is it?" She asked, making sure she kept her eyes on the wash cloth that she was ringing out.

"No, it isn't like that." Sophia whispered.

When Carol looked up she could see the girl blushing even through the darkening bruises on the side of her face.

They were quiet for a while. She hadn't said anything else even as she dried off and got herself dressed. Sophia looked like she was deep in thought, even as she scrubbed her teeth and gazed at her reflection. Carol was so glad to see her looking so much better already. She was clean, warm, _alive._ She spit into the sink and then met Carol's gaze in the mirror.

"How did you know you loved Daryl?" Se blurted out. It looked like the question surprised her as much as it did her mother. She looked away, busying herself with rinsing her mouth out.

Carol wasn't sure how to answer that. She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment it had happened. It happened quickly, she knew that much. Probably even before she had killed Ed. But she just wasn't sure. What she felt for him was such an intense thing that it seemed like something that had been born into her. Something huge and all consuming and always there. But she couldn't explain these things to a little girl.

She looked away when Sophia met her eyes again. "I just don't know." She said honestly. Did Sophia think that she loved that boy? _Did_ she? There were new rules to this new world. Everything seemed fast and amplified compared to the way things always had been. When you felt something you felt it on a grander scale because time wasn't something anyone thought they had much of. But these were just children. Not old enough to even grasp something as confusing as that. Right?

"Sophia, what are you trying to ask?"

The girl just shrugged and shook her head. "I was just wandering."

"Do we need to... talk? About... stuff?" Carol asked hesitantly.

Sophia's head shot up and she looked pretty mortified. "Jesus, mom! No! I'm almost thirteen. I know about... things. That is _not_ what I was talking about."

Carol couldn't help it. She laughed. She laughed until her stomach hurt while Sophia scowled at her, refusing to join her in her momentary fit of hysteria.

"Can I go now?" She asked while Carol dabbed at her eyes.

"I'm sorry, honey. I really am." Carol said as she kissed the top of her head. "You just scared me for minute is all."

Sophia made a face and headed for the door but before she could even put her hand on the knob Carol caught her hand, stopping her. She looked up questioningly.

"Honey, if you really care about that boy, and we both know you do." She smiled. "Never tell Daryl about that kiss, okay. Accident or not, there's only so much he can take, alright."

Sophia nodded her head. "That's one thing we can agree on. I wont tell if you wont."

~H~

Merle sat on the steps to the Town Hall building. Maggie was with her dad and Milton. It was a little strange not having her by his side. He grunted. There he goes again, thinking like a pussy. He rolled his eyes.

He glanced down at the blood that was splattered across the metal on his arm. He'd need to clean that up soon. Five of the Governors men had turned traitor and had fought alongside the group. Amazingly enough they hadn't lost anyone.

The thought of losing people had the vision of Sophia's dead body searing his brain once more. He flinched, closing his eyes and shaking his head. He'd been trying to block that image for a while now. It almost pissed him off. This was something he had never asked for. He never wanted to _care_. But he could do nothing about it now. Not a thing. When you cared about people it gave people a certain power over you. He was pretty much crushed under the power these people held over him now. Sophia, Maggie, Duane, Carol. It was a lot for a man to take.

He longed to go back to a time when the only thing he gave a shit about was his brother. He never had to worry about him. Never had to constantly watch him to make sure he was safe. But those easy days were behind him.

Sending Duane out to find Sophia had scared him to death. He almost called it off and came up with a different plan. But he knew Duane and Carl were Sophia's only chance of getting out. He felt as though he was sacrificing one for the other. He never wanted to feel like that again.

He also had to worry about the rest of the people in the town. Not that he really gave a shit about them, but they were all a bunch of sheep that listened to everything that idiot Governor had told them. Now he wasn't sure what the hell to do about them. He wasn't the man for this job. Rick would have done a lot better. That wasn't going to happen though. This was his town. His brothers town. But deep down he knew that that wasn't really true. This was their groups town. He hated thinking in those terms. He sighed.

The whole fucking town came out after the streets grew quiet once more. Thankfully Martinez and Red had ushered them back into their houses and insured them that everything was fine. Shit would most likely hit the fan tomorrow though once they learned what happened to Philip. He was a little jealous of that damn kid. He had wanted to be the one to finish the asshole off. But at least Carl had done a pretty thorough job.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Merle glanced up and just noticed Maggie standing in front of him. It was rare for someone to sneak up on a Dixon but every now and then he was caught off guard.

"Nope." He shook his head and looked away.

She sighed. When he looked back up she smiled at him. "Okay."

He frowned. "Okay?" He snorted. "You're always houndin' me about somethin', girl. You never just say okay. Are ya sick or somethin'?" He asked.

She climbed the steps and sat down behind him. Her hands went to his rigid shoulders, trying to rub the tension out of them. He damn near groaned. He hadn't realized how tense he actually was until she started working out the kinks.

"I ain't sick. I'm worried." She said quietly as her hands did their magic.

"Bout what?" He asked, his tone guarded.

"Us." She murmured.

His stomach instantly went into knots and his heart started beating hard in his chest. What did she mean by that? He must have been doing something wrong. But he was trying, which was why he was feeling sick now. He wasn't the easiest man to get along with but he did make an effort to make her happy. So why was she worrying? He sighed. "What'd I do?" He asked as he tensed once more like her words very well could be a blow to his flesh.

"Well, we have all these people to worry about now. That bastard was the one that ran this town, he knew what he was doin' around here, I give him that. But now what?"

He instantly relaxed. She wasn't talking about the two of them. She was talking about _all_ of them. He didn't want her to have to worry about anything at all but her worrying herself over everyone was better than her worrying herself over the two of them. He didn't care if that made him selfish. He leaned back until he was pressed against her. Her arms wrapped around his neck.

"We'll figure somethin' out." He patted her arm.

"Well, the first thing I want you to do is fire that bitch at the school. Me and Carol can teach these kids. Teach about things that matter now. Like survivin'."

He grinned. "You want me to go ahead let you have the honors of tellin' her where to go?"

She laughed and then kissed his neck. "See, you do love me Merle Dixon."

He sighed. "I do."

She went still behind him for a few long seconds and then she pulled back, keeping her hands on his shoulders. "Well when did this happen?" She whispered.

He shrugged. He thought he would feel like an idiot, admitting something like that to her but he didn't. It felt kind of good. What had got him really thinking about it was when they had finally found Sophia, and then thinking she was dead, that cracked him right there. There wasn't enough time anymore for bullshit. There wasn't enough time anymore to keep your mouth shut. You had to just put things out there. If people accepted it then that was good and if they didn't then oh fucking well. At least they knew how you felt.

He'd come outside tonight after Sophia had been yanked back from the brink of death by that lovesick boy, just to realize that some crazy bastard had Maggie. He had thought right then that she was gone. The man would surely kill her. And she'd die never knowing how much she meant to him. That thought had damn near brought him to his knees. So he was going to stop. Stop acting like he had enough time to say things he needed to say and do things he needed to do. Shit needed said right now and things needed done as quick as you could get them done. No one was ever promised a certain amount of time but before all of this no one really considered death much. In this world you stared death right in it's ugly face every single day and you just hoped like a mother fucker that it didn't get a hold of you.


	93. Chapter 93

**This is it folks. I'll post the epilogue tonight and then this story is done. I'm not even excited about that anymore. When I wrote the last word to the epilogue last night I felt really sad! I've enjoyed writing this and I've met quite a few great people on here because of this story. This is most just chapter that has everyone winding down and accepting their fate. A few of you have mentioned that you hate to see this story end but if it makes you feel better, the epilogue is a real long read. 12,000 words I think. Haha. Leave it to me to end it with flourish ;) Thanks for the reviews! So, Hope you all have a good morning, at least it isn't Monday! And I'm really excited for you all to read the last post tonight XD Its... different...**

Chapter Ninety Three

Carol left Sophia's room. The girl was worn out but both boys didn't seem to be willing to go anywhere. They were standing watch apparently. Rick and Lori were okay with Carl staying after everything that had happened and Beth knew to keep her eye on them. Not that Carol was worried. She trusted Sophia and she trusted Carl. New world or not, they were still only kids. She still had a few more years before the real anxiety would start.

She made her way down the hall and stopped outside the door to their room. She listened for a few minutes but there was only silence from the other side of the door. She expected it. He wouldn't have spent this whole time in there destroying everything in his rage. He would have calmed himself down by now. She opened the door and he was on the floor, grumbling to himself as he picked up fragments of glass from some object he must have launched at the wall. She almost smiled but when she looked closer she saw the damage he had done to his own fist.

"Daryl." She said his name quietly.

He looked up and gave her an almost sheepish smile. Like he was a child that had gotten caught stealing candy.

"I think we need to just find another room." Carol said as she put her hands on her hips and took in the mess. There were several holes in the wall. That explained his injured hand. The nightstand was smashed into pieces and the dresser was turned over on it's side. "Do you feel better?" She arched an eyebrow at him and then crossed her arms over her chest.

He sighed. "Does she?" He countered.

"Much."

He bit his lip and looked down at the glass on the floor. "Then yeah. I feel just about as fine as you could expect."

She reached out her hand to him. "Let's go. I don't feel like helping you clean this mess up. There's other rooms. Let's go find ourselves one."

He took her hand with his good one and followed her out the door after they grabbed what few belongings weren't still in their bags. The room they found was further down the hall but it was bigger than the other room. This one actually had two rooms like the one that Sophia shared with Beth.

"You sure we should leave her alone?" He asked as he stripped off his shirt.

"She isn't alone. Beth is there and so are the boys." She watched his face closely to gauge his reaction to that but he only nodded and pulled the blankets down.

"You aren't going to bed yet, Dixon." She said dryly.

He glanced up at her with a smirk. "Would it surprise you if I told you I wasn't in the mood?"

She actually laughed at that. For one, it did surprise her and for two, she was glad. For once, she wasn't in the mood either. Not after the night they had had. "I wasn't talking about that." She said as she pointed to his hand. "I was talking about _that_. It needs cleaned up before it gets infected."

He sighed but let her have her way. She made quick work of it since she felt worn out herself. She could see how tired he was. It was etched all over his face. He'd been dealt a lot of emotional trauma and most times that was far more exhausting than anything physical. His body could handle a lot but his mind, on the other hand, had suffered tonight much more than hers had. Just hearing of what went on in that room and seeing the aftermath was enough for her. But he had to be there and witness it all as it happened and she couldn't imagine what kind of marks that could leave on a mans soul.

She had barely gotten the light turned off before his arm was around her waist and he was yanking her towards him so hard that her back crashed into his chest so hard she was sure it had hurt him. She knew it did her but she didn't complain. She knew how he was feeling. She needed the comfort herself. She rolled over and put her hand to the side of his face, brushing back strands of his unruly hair. She tried to kiss him but her aim was off in the dark and her lips ended up landing on his chin. He laughed and then kissed her for a long time before moving his face away. It was the kind of kiss that had her toes curling and heart racing. She pulled away further.

"Sleep." She whispered.

She felt him nod but then it wasn't long after that she heard him sigh.

"What's wrong?" She asked sleepily.

"What now?" He asked as his fingers started tracing patterns up and down her back.

She shivered. "Now we sleep."

"No, what do we do about all this? This town and all these people? I wanted to take it. I agreed with Merle's crazy ass plan and now I don't have a fuckin' clue what we're gonna do here."

"That's easy to answer." She mumbled into his chest.

"Is it?"

She nodded. "Yeah. We live."

"That simple, huh?" He chuckled.

"That simple." She smiled.

"And all the people that's still here? What the fuck do we do about them? There's a lot of people left. We can't make'em leave but I ain't plannin' on takin' care of'em either. I got my hands full enough."

She leaned up on her elbow and thought about that for a while before answering him. He was right. This was a town of people that were used to living in the dark. They were sheltered and useless and seemed to _need_ someone else to tell them what to do. They _needed_ someone to lead them. But Daryl didn't want to be a leader. He had it in him to be a great one, he had proven that every single time things went south with their group and he took the wheel. He was strong and fearless and capable. He just wasn't willing. And she really didn't blame him. She would hate for him to take on more than he had already. She saw in his eyes every day the determination to keep her and Sophia safe. Saw the anguish in his eyes when he thought he had failed. He didn't need more pressure. He didn't need more responsibility. His plate was as full as he wanted it to be. And she was satisfied with having him all to herself. "They aren't your responsibility. You leave that up to Rick and your brother to sort out."

"Rick and Merle are like two dumb alfa wolves. This ain't gonna be pretty." He grumbled.

She smiled. "It probably wont be pretty but it'll be pretty interesting to watch."

He snorted. "If by interestin' you really mean loud and bloody. Ain't neither of them assholes gonna wanna let go of the reins."

She shrugged her shoulders and laid her head back down on his arm. "That's their problem. Not yours."

"That simple?" He asked again causing her to chuckle into his side.

"Yes. Now go to sleep."

"Yes ma'am." He sighed.

~H~

Sophia sat upright in bed with the scream she had brought with her out of the nightmare dying on her lips. Movement in the dark room caught her eye and she almost screamed again, thinking that maybe it hadn't been a nightmare at all. She heard something hit the floor and then heard a familiar voice.

"Son of a bitch!" Carl hissed as she saw him pull himself up off the floor in front of the couch.

Her head snapped to her right when she heard someone else chuckle. "You fell of the couch, didn't you? That's what your greedy ass gets for makin' me sleep down here."

"Shut up, Duane." Carl hissed. "Sophia? Are you alright?" he asked in a much softer voice.

"Nightmare." She whispered in a shaky voice. "What are you two still doing here?"

"Romeo here was afraid you'd wake up and not want to be alone." Duane whispered.

"Duane!" Carl growled.

The nightmare was still fresh in her mind. She was back in that room with the fish tanks but when she looked at the heads they all belonged to everyone from the group. They kept trying to talk to her and she couldn't get out and then Philip had someone appeared but he was all cut up and bloody. She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around her legs, unable to stop shaking. "I'm glad you stayed." She said in a low voice that she wasn't even sure either of them could hear.

"Anytime, Sophia." Duane said as he finally pulled himself up off the floor. There was just enough light from the window coming in for her to see him walk over to the couch and sit down. Carl was still standing there, a darker outline in the darkness of the room.

Finally he sat down on the edge of the bed. She really was glad they were there. She was too damn old to be pestering her mom and Daryl over nightmares but she wasn't sure if she would have been able to stay in the room alone after seeing all of those faces in those tanks.

She could tell the bedroom door was open. Beth was probably sleeping fitfully in her own bed in the adjoining room. Beth never slept very good. Sometimes Sophia wanted to ask her what she dreamed about but she was always fine during the day. She felt cold even though she was dressed in warm flannel pajamas. The silence went on for a long time. She didn't need them to talk. Them being there was comfort enough but she still felt that same helplessness that she had felt in that dream and she was too afraid to try to go back to sleep. She felt bad that they were going to miss out on sleep because of her. They didn't owe her anything. They should have been in their own beds. Not here worrying about her.

Just then they heard soft snored coming from the couch. She almost laughed. Carl chuckled and shook his head. "I knew I would end up on the floor before the night was over." He whispered. He turned to face her then, sitting sideways on the edge of the bed.

"Go on back to your room Carl. I'll be fine. Duane's here." She said, hoping he didn't listen to her.

Apparently he could see well enough in the dark to see that she was shaking. He made a move like he was going to come closer but then he stopped and stayed where he was. She wished he hadn't stopped. She wanted someone close and she figured if anybody could chase the nightmare away it would be the same person that had chased death away earlier in the night. She was still finding it hard to believe.

"Did I thank you?" She whispered.

His head turned towards her and she could see his shoulders lift in a small shrug. "I can't remember. Wasn't much in my right head most of the night."

She wasn't sure how to respond to that. She had seen the fear that was written all over all their faces, saw the disbelief in their eyes when she had pulled herself off the floor. But it had to have been worse for him. He had been the one that had worked to bring her back.

"Well, are you alright now?" She asked after a while.

"Are you?"

She thought about that for a few seconds. Thought about that nightmare that still claimed a big portion of her thoughts but eventually she nodded. That nightmare would fade. She was okay. "I'm alright now."

"Then I'm alright now."

Another round of heavy silence fell over them before either of them spoke again. There were a million and one things she wanted to say to him. Another million and one questions she wanted to ask him. She just didn't really know how. All the things they had been through in the short time they had known each other was unbelievable. And here they sat. Alive and breathing. She couldn't help but wonder how different her life would have been if she hadn't met him and Shane and his mom on the road. She wouldn't be around to even ask herself that question if it wasn't for him.

"Thanks, Carl. Just in case I didn't say it before." She finally said, breaking the silence that had grown loud between them.

"If you wanna go back to sleep I'll stay up. If you start tossing and turning or anything I'll wake you up so you wont have to deal with anymore nightmares." He muttered as he shifted uncomfortably.

She shook her head. "You can't do that. I'll be fine. You need to sleep. You can go on to your room."

He shook his head. "Not a chance."

"You never listen to me." She scolded even though she was close to smiling through her chattering teeth.

"You never listen to me neither." He countered stubbornly.

She sighed.

"You sure you ain't cold? I can feel the damn mattress shivering with you all the way over here." He whispered.

"I ain't cold. Just keep thinking about those heads." She mumbled.

This got him moving. He crawled towards her and sat down right next to her with his back pressed against the wooden headboard. "Is that what you were dreaming about?" He asked.

She nodded, not really wanting to talk about it. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She suddenly felt like crying. She wasn't even sure why. She didn't know if it was because of the dream or is it was because she was so happy that him and Duane had stayed with her or if it was because she had been dead and came back and hadn't really had a chance to deal with that yet. But she felt the hot tears flood her eyes and before she could even blink them back they were over flowing and leaving wet trails down her face.

She hated herself for crying. Especially for not even knowing what the hell she was crying about. But she couldn't hold it back anymore. She knew that he knew she was crying too and that only made it worse. He could feel it in the hand he still had on her shoulder and then all of a sudden that hand was pulling her back. She instantly turned her head into his shoulder. She felt like a stupid pathetic little girl. Maybe she was.

He held on to her as she sobbed quietly. He laid his cheek against the top of her head and didn't say a word. She guessed he figured this had been coming. There was only so much a person could take before they broke down but eventually, after a long time, she was all cried out. She felt exhausted now, like she really could sleep for days.

"Sophia?" He whispered into her hair.

She didn't answer him, not trusting her voice yet but he knew she was listening so he kept going.

"I just wanted you to know that... I'm really glad you took a bath before this."

She sniffed and then laughed. "You're so sweet Carl." Her voice had still been pretty scratchy but now it was rough again, like it had been after she woke up in that room.

"That's me." He chuckled. There was something in his tone that made him sound much older than he had before. It had been there for a while but she was just now noticing it. "Go back to sleep, Sophia." He muttered. He shifted a little like he was going to get up but she found his hand quickly and held it tightly.

"Stay." She whispered.

He relaxed against the headboard once more but he groaned. "Daryl will kill me. You know that, right?"

She sighed. She was always trying to be so grown up and so strong, always the one in control but right now she was willing to let some of that go. "If you go then I wont be able to sleep. I'm tired, but I wont sleep. He wont kill you."

She didn't let go of his hand as she found her spot on his shoulder once more. Her eye lids felt heavy and her body felt to heavy to even move. She hoped she was right. Maybe Duane would wake up first. He would probably give them hell for this for the next two years but she didn't care, he'd still be smart enough to wake them up before anyone came in.

With her hand still gripping his tightly she finally slipped back into sleep. Deep and dreamless.

~H~

Merle couldn't sleep for shit. He laid there with his eyes glued to the window. He had focused on Maggie's steady breathing, usually counting on that sound to lull him to sleep, but it wasn't working tonight. It did nothing to calm his mind the way it always had before. It wasn't that he wasn't tired. He was bone weary, tired in mind and body, but unable to do a thing about it.

His thoughts, for some reason, wouldn't stop wondering back to the quarry. The complicated series of events that had brought him to this place to begin with. In such a short time, everything he had ever believed, everything he had ever held tight to, had been turned upside down. His head turned completely inside out. How had things gotten to this point? It wasn't that he wasn't happy about some of it. He was. He had so much more than he had ever thought he would have.

It didn't even matter that he had found it all at the end of the world. It was all here. Solid and safe for the moment. Things he never even thought to ask for. Things he had been too cold and stupid to ever even _want._ And he never even really had to fight to attain it. Things that were so unattainable to the man he was before just seemed to fall into his lap the second he opened up and let that little girl in. Well, it was more like, the moment that Sophia had came crashing through every wall he had ever built up to protect himself. After her, things changed in his head. Melted that coldness that he held onto with everything in him with her bossy little attitude and the undying faith she put in him. And then that last wall of defense around the man he was came crashing down after Maggie. She had risen the dead in his mind and, unknowingly, forced him to face them down.

Then here comes Duane. Smart little bastard that he was, worming his way in with the others.

He slipped out from under Maggie's arm and sat there on the edge of the bed for a while, not sure what he was going to do but knowing that he couldn't just lay there anymore. He reached for his boots but a small hand on his back stopped him. He turned his head and saw that Maggie was sitting up on her elbow. He couldn't see her face.

"Don't leave." She said quietly.

"Ain't got plans to go far, girl. Can't sleep." He grumbled but he didn't make another move for his boots.

"Ya wanna go on a walk or somethin'?" She asked as she sat all the way up and scooted until she was sitting next to him.

He laughed. "Just a stroll around town, huh? Been a while since I thought I'd ever do somethin' that fuckin'..."

"Normal?" She offered with a grin.

He snorted. "Moonlight strolls ain't never been normal for me, darlin'. Ain't never been the romantic type if ya know what I mean."

Now she was the one that couldn't help but laugh. "Merle, I'd have never guessed that." She bumped him with her shoulder.

"I still must have had a certain charm, girl. You fell for it."

"I really did." She grinned.

He could see her better now that she was facing the dimly lit window.

"Why?" He asked without even meaning too.

She pursed her lips and looked thoughtful for a little while and then she finally shrugged. "I don't know. I saw somethin'. Nobody acts the way you did without a reason. I hadn't ever met anybody like you before. I knew what you were, or what you were tryin' to be. I wasn't gonna fall for it like everybody else. The first thing I thought when I met you was, there ain't no way you and Daryl were even related, let alone brothers. He was quiet, shy, didn't ever go out of his way to be noticed. And then there you were." She laughed and shook her head. "Let's just say you was a little overwhelming."

"He's always been like that." Merle grinned, thinking back to a time before all this. Daryl had always been the quiet one. The one that watched everything going on around him. Sizing up every situation before acting. Merle couldn't help but to think that they had changed roles a little. Now it was is brother quick to fly off the handle while Merle was stuck being the one keeping his eye on what was going on around them. When the fuck had that even happened?

"Do you miss it?" She asked quietly.

He frowned. "Miss what?"

"The way you were? Do you miss being that man?" She sounded curious but he wasn't sure how to answer her question.

He shrugged. He figured honesty would have to work. "Sometimes." He muttered gruffly.

She nodded. "I thought you might. What do you miss about it?"

"Not givin' a fuck." He said without hesitation. "Givin' a fuck is some stressful shit. Ain't used to it."

"Aww, Merle." She grinned again as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I give a fuck too."

"Smart ass." he laughed.

"Redneck." She unwound her arms from around his neck and pulled her legs back up onto the bed. "You need to sleep. At least lay with me. You got a lot to do tomorrow."

He grumbled but did what she said. When she was tucked into his side he let his eyes slide shut.

"I love you, Merle." She whispered.

He blew out a breath. "Go to sleep, girl." He didn't feel like he had to say it. He had admitted it earlier, that was enough for him. As long as she knew, just in case something happened to one of them. That was the important thing.

"Say it." She demanded firmly.

"I did. I said it earlier." He argued gruffly.

"No, you confirmed it. You didn't _say_ it." She huffed.

He was silent for a long time and then finally she sighed and shook her head. He could hear the disappointment even in that small sound she made. He took a deep breath and held it for as long as he could, like he had to steal himself for what he was about to utter.

"I love you too, girl."

Her head snapped up and then she was beaming right in his face. Even in the dark he could see her smile. He pushed her head back down and rolled his eyes, even though he felt like grinning himself he wasn't going to let her know that.

~H~

Daryl was up before the sun was. He figured Hershel needed to take a look at his hand. It hurt like hell and was pretty swollen. Sometimes he was a dumb ass but at least he could admit it. The way he figured, if he could admit to being a dumb ass then that made him a little less of one. He was showered and dressed before Carol was even out of bed. He hated waking her up but they had a lot to do. Him being able to sneak out of bed without waking her just proved how exhausted she had been. They all probably felt the same way but he didn't ever seem to need as much sleep as other people. It was probably remnants of his childhood showing through. You learned to stay half awake when you were constantly worried about getting your ass stomped. That was never a good way to wake up.

"Hey." he whispered as he stretched out next to her sleeping form.

She opened her eyes and smiled. She always did that. As soon as she seen him she smiled, it was an every morning thing. He smiled back in response.

"What time is it?" She asked sleepily.

"Time to get your ass up, woman. We got shit to do."

She rolled her eyes at him but she did set up. "We always got shit to do." She huffed.

He laughed and then rolled over onto his back and waited for her to get ready. He assumed everyone else was still asleep so he'd have to make his rounds. They needed to figure out what the hell was going to happen now. He hated to admit it but he thought that Merle or Rick, whoever decided to take on the responsibility of everyone else, needed to talk to Martinez. He knew the town, and the people and the system. He still didn't like the smart ass but at least the man could serve a purpose. He owed Daryl that much just for letting him live.

Carol wasn't the type of woman to take her time getting her shit together. That's one of the things he loved about her. She didn't fuck around. Fifteen minutes after crawling out of bed and she was showered, dressed and standing there with her hands on her hips waiting for him to get his ass up.

They made their rounds, waking up the rest of them. Beth came to the door, sleepy eyed and smiling at them. "Mornin'. She mumbled.

She opened the door wide and then headed off to the bathroom with her clothes and a towel. The door to the room where Sophia slept was open so they made their way to it. Carol reached for the lamp that stood next to the door and then he heard her curse under her breath as soon as the light came on.

The first thing he noticed was Duane, sprawled out on the couch, snoring loudly with his mouth hanging open and one arm slung over his eyes. The next thing he noticed had his teeth grinding together painfully. Sophia was still sleeping with her head on that damn boys shoulder, both sitting up against the headboard. The side of Carl's face was resting on her head. And their hands were still clasped together.

He knew she had had it rough. He knew that she had probably needed someone during the night. He knew that nothing at all happened and he knew that if it hadn't been for the boy then she wouldn't even be here. Today would have started out much differently.

"Daryl, just breath." Carol whispered.

He hadn't realized that he had been holding his breath. He looked at Carol who was staring at him worriedly. "She had a really hard night." he growled. "I'll let this shit go once. One time. I catch'em like this again I'm gonna beat that boys ass."

Carol looked relieved. He felt half sick. He walked over to the couch and kicked the side of it hard. Duane nearly fell off the couch. He sat straight up, eyes wide at first until he saw who was standing there glaring at him. He smiled. That smile grated on Daryl's nerves a little but he didn't have to look at that smile for long because as soon as Duane's eyes went towards the bed they grew wide and he frowned.

"Hey, I didn't have anything to do with that. When we all went to bed I was on the floor and he was on the couch. She had a bad dream and so he was probably just trying to make her feel better. He was probably just gonna stay with her till she fell back asleep and then he ended up up falling..."

"Shut up, Duane." Daryl growled.

Duane shook his head. "Is that all you people can ever say to me?" He asked as he stood up. He glanced once more towards the bed, where Daryl had trained his glare. "Hey Grimes." Duane was smiling again.

Carl opened his eyes and blinked a few times.

"You're dead." Duane was grinning now as Daryl glared at the boy.

Carl's eyes came up to meet Daryl's and he nearly shoved Sophia away from him as he launched himself off the bed. "She had a nightmare!" His words were rushed as he watched Daryl warily. "She asked me to stay so I did. I didn't mean to fall asleep I swear."

Daryl huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Shit." Carl muttered. "Don't kick my ass, Daryl. I didn't do anything, I swear. You can ask her yourself."

Daryl pinned him there with his eyes for a few heavy moments, enjoying himself more than he should at Carl's obvious fear. But finally his gaze swept towards the girl. He couldn't keep glaring as she peered up at him from behind her knees. She smiled sheepishly.

"Mornin', Daryl." She finally said when his face softened at the sight of her.

He sighed.

"Get your asses ready and meet us all outside. We have to sort this mess out. You boys, go the hell away." He growled.

He kissed Carol quickly before heading out himself. He figured she would want to stay with Sophia while she got ready and he wanted to see if Merle was out there yet. When he walked outside he was surprised to see all the people milling around. Old, young, men, woman, children. Merle was standing off to the side talking to Rick and that son of a bitch Martinez. A few other guys from Philip's little army were there also but they were all the men that had sided with the group last night. Opting for Merle over the Governor.

The rest of the group was separated from the townspeople, closer to the wall. He headed towards Merle and Rick. When they looked up and saw him coming he couldn't help but notice that they both looked relieved. Martinez nodded. He ignored him.

"This ain't the only town." Merle informed him before he had even made it all the way over to them. "There's more out there. Just like this place."

Daryl frowned. "What?"

"He was raiding other towns. Most of them full of people like them." He gestured towards the townspeople. "No leaders, not much in the way of weapons. This guy was fucked up!"

"The fuck you talkin' about?" Daryl asked.

Rick took over the talking from there. "Him and his men would raid towns like this. They'd take all the weapons they could. You should see it, there's weapons stock piled here like you wouldn't believe."

Daryl grimaced. "And let me guess, you went right along with this kinda shit?" He asked Martinez.

The man nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "It was that or die. I chose to do what he said. I didn't like it much but it kept me alive."

"Didn't like it _much_, huh?" Daryl growled.

"Not now, little brother." Merle shook his head at him and he decided to listen to him. This time.

Rick looked up at Martinez then. "So, you said he has everything written down? Everything?"

Martinez nodded. "He had this place running like clockwork. He wasn't just blowing smoke up your ass when he said that everyone here had a job to do. We have the generators to look after, greenhouses to upkeep for the crops, food to prepare and freeze." He glanced up at Daryl. "Kids to teach."

Daryl scowled. "That shit is gonna change real quick. That bitch ain't teachin' them kids a damn thing."

"You might have a fight on your hands with that one." Martinez smirked.

"The hell he will." All eyes flew to Maggie who had been standing quietly at Merle's side. "She's out of a job. Me and Beth are gonna start teachin'. If she has a problem then send her ass to me to work it out."

Daryl couldn't help but grin. He had a feeling that Mrs. Juarez was going to end up getting her ass kicked real soon. He looked down when he felt an arm slide around his waist. Carol was looking at Maggie, one eyebrow cocked. When Maggie noticed her there she winked.

"So, what now?" Daryl asked as he looked from Merle to Rick and then back to Merle.

Both men shrugged. "Now we get to livin' little brother." He gave him one of those grins that usually had Daryl groaning because they usually meant they were about to get into some shit. But this time he didn't groan at all. This time he was right there with him.

Rick cleared his throat, definitely not liking the grin on Merle's face. "We just have to work out the kinks a bit. There's a few issues that we gotta smooth over and then it should be pretty smooth from there."

"Kinks?" Daryl asked as his thumb slipped up Carol's shirt and grazed the small of her back. He smirked when she leaned into his side a little harder.

Rick nodded. "The woman that the kids found in the woods, she has a real grudge against Morgan. She wants him dead. We told her that she can stay here as long as she wants but she can't be killing off our men."

Merle chuckled. "Should just have'em fight it out. That would be some fun shit to watch. We could have town wrestlin' matches."

"Oh, Jesus." Rick shook his head. He knew Merle would definitely try to make a rule like that.

Daryl had to swallow a laugh of his own.

The rest of the day was spent figuring out what it was they had to do to keep the town going and everyone safe. When asked about the Governor the people were told the truth. He was dead. Some of them got scared, especially when Merle was the one they asked. He would tell them that him and Carl killed him and then just walk away, leaving them standing there with their mouths agape. Rick, at least, would elaborate and tell them everything.

A lot of people got upset over the news. He had been a pretty charismatic guy that a lot of the people really cared about. Merle would just scoff at them but Rick was good at explaining things and making them feel better. There was a lot of confusion at first but eventually things seemed to start to settle down. Everyone went about their daily lives. It would be a slow process, Daryl was sure, but things would work out. He was pretty sure of it would anyway.

He went over some makeshift paperwork that Rick had found in Philip's apartment. Plans he had. He was one really sick fuck. He must have really lost it when his daughter turned. He could almost sympathize but he hoped that he wouldn't have gone as far down as this man had.

By the time the sun went down things had settled down. There was still a sense of unease with the town but that would pass. It had too.

When he made it to their new room, since he had done a good amount of damage to their other one, Carol was already there. She was sitting Indian style in the middle of the bed, wearing one of his old shirts, reading a book out of the stack of books she had snagged out of Philips apartment. She was so engrossed in the book that she didn't even notice him come in. He stood there and watched her like a creeper, smiling when she would smile over something she had just read. Watching her like that, without her knowing it made him think of that first night she had came down by the water at the quarry. She hadn't known he was there then either. That night he couldn't even talk to her. But he had tried. That seemed like years ago. In reality it hadn't even been eight weeks. How quickly things changed in this new world.

She looked up suddenly, a smile spreading across her face when her eyes met his. "You're too quiet." She observed as she dog eared the book and tossed it on the bedside table.

"You're too _loud_." He said as he leaned across the bed and kissed her lightly. He drew his head back, bracing the top half of himself with his arms, and looked at her. She looked happy. Her smile was wide and her eyes were shining. He hadn't seen her look like that since the farm. She placed her hands on the side of his face and brought her lips to his.

"So, did you boys figure everything out?" She asked when she finally pulled away.

He nodded and flashed her a grin.

"So, you think we'll be okay?" She asked, her smile falling as she waited for his answer.

He nodded again. "I guess we're home, woman. Think you'll be alright with that? I know how you'll miss all the excitement."

"You really think this is going to work? This is home?" That smile was back and he returned it.

"I really do."


	94. Epilogue

**This is going to be a little different. I decided to do something outside my comfort zone. This is set two years after what happened in chapter Ninety Three. I basically focused on four people throughout the story. Daryl, Carol, Merle and Sophia. So I wanted to do the same for this but I wanted to go a little deeper into what they were thinking. So I did this in first person. I bounced the idea around in my head for a while and a friend said to run with it and so I did. I know there are people out there that don't like first person stories but I thought that for this, it was the right call. Some of it is a little fluffy but I have promised several people a happy ending with rainbows and glitter and unicorns and... No really, it ain't _that_ bad. But I think they've earned a happy ending. Especially Merle :) Because I love him and he deserves it. I'm super nervous about this so if you hate it then be gentle! **

_**Epilogue**_

_**Two Years Gone...**_

_**Daryl**_

Nothin' about my old life could have prepared me for this. Nothin'. Everything was ass backwards and I still wasn't used to the way things were now. I hardly recognized that person I had been. That boy was gone. Sometimes when I stared at my reflection in the mirror I expected to see a new face. A man as different on the outside as I felt on the inside. But it was always just me. Looking back with the same blue eyes I had always met in the mirror.

I was about to jump down from the wall when Martinez poked his head up over the edge and then pulled himself the rest of the way up. I made sure to give him the shittiest look I could muster before I greeted him. "Bout fuckin time, pussy." I made sure to keep my voice low.

"Fuck you, Dixon," was his response. I expected it.

It took a lot but I forced back a smile. "Try not to go to sleep this time, asshole. You know Rick and Merle both woulda thrown your ass outta town if they woulda been the ones that caught you last time."

Martinez had the good sense to look embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at my boots. "Man, that wasn't my fault. We haven't seen a Walker in months. I'm startin' to think that maybe it's over."

I tried to not let his words bother me. Why the fuck should they? If the Walkers were gone then we didn't have shit to worry about anymore. But the truth was, I liked my life here. It was better than anything I had ever imagined. For myself anyway. The thought of things changing really pissed me off. Made me nervous. There wasn't nothin' worse than a nervous, pissed off Dixon. I glared at him for a second before responding. "You know it ain't the Walkers we gotta worry about. The livin' is the problem. Has been since the day we got here."

"You're right. That was pretty stupid." He admitted.

I gave him one last look before I jumped down. It was nearly dusk and I was more than ready to get my ass home. Usually the wall wasn't as boring as it had been today but Merle was out huntin' and he was my partner. Workin' the wall alone was a real son of a bitch. A man should never have to be so damn bored. It didn't much matter anyway since nothin' ever seemed to happen anymore. I didn't even ask Martinez where the hell Red was. They were suppose to be on night shift together.

I adjusted my bow and then stomped towards the house. My house. I couldn't help but think back to the house I was raised in. It wasn't _home_. I had hated the place. I didn't know if I hated it more than Merle did but I hated it all the same. I had never had much experience with things like this. Things like having a home and having a family. It was still fucked up sometimes. Sometimes I felt suffocated. Even now, two years later I felt like bolting sometimes because there was no way, not in my mind, that I could hold all this down. It didn't seem like there was any way I could really be the man that these people needed me to be. It was scary as fuck. But then, when shit got to me really bad, the responsibility got too heavy and it damn near kept me from catching my breath, she'd be there. One look at her and shit shifted in my head. I'd do what I needed to do for her. Carol deserved better than some redneck coward. I would be anything she needed me to be.

Most of us had moved out of the building that we had stayed in when we first arrived in Woodbury. Michonne had stayed and a few others but all of the original group moved on to some of the bigger houses further down Main Street. The Quarry group was what everyone else called us.

I was almost to the house when I saw someone stalking towards me. I had just thought earlier that there wasn't anything worse than an angry Dixon. Well, there was one thing that trumped me or my brother. That was an angry Sophia.

I felt that familiar dread settlin' in my stomach as she came closer. She was just a few days short of her fifteenth Birthday and it seemed like over the past six months she had gone from bein' a scrawny kid to bein' a full grown woman. And I fuckin' hated it. It was bad enough that I had to spend every spare minute I had watchin' Carl around her. Now every boy in the damn town turned their heads to watch her every time she walked by. Most of the time I bit my tongue. Other times I bit their heads off. The only boy around that seemed to be indifferent to the changes in her was Duane.

She looked pissed. Her fists were clenched and she was scowling. She had started to look a lot like her momma but when she was like this people swore that she had to be mine.

"Where the hell is he?" She barked when she finally got close enough for me to hear her.

"Who?" I knew who she was talkin' about. There was only one person in the world that made her that mad. Carl Grimes.

"You know who. Carl!" She nearly yelled and I held up my hands and hid a smirk. Nothin' made me happier than when she was pissed at that boy.

"What'd he do now?" I asked, still tryin' to hide the fact that her bein' pissed at him just made my night.

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared past me. She didn't look me in the eye so I knew it was somethin' that she didn't want me to know. I could feel the muscle in my jaw start to twitch when I clenched my teeth. What had Carl done that was so bad that she didn't want me to know about? What had her this pissed off?

"Sophia." I growled.

She rolled her eyes and finally looked at me. "I'm surprised you hadn't already heard. Trey had to go to Hershel because of him."

Trey. That was one kid I couldn't stand. Carl pissed me off but Carl was different. Carl had proven himself as far as I was concerned. I didn't think I would ever really like him just because I knew what was coming between the two of them and it made me want to break the little fuckers neck. She was always gonna be a little girl to me, but not to him. The little bastard. But I had to secretly cheer him on for the Trey incident, whatever it could have been. "What'd he do?"

She huffed. "He hit him. Damn near took the boys fool head off!"

I waited for her to tell me why but it didn't look like she was gonna willingly let go of any details. So I asked the obvious. "Why?"

Even in the dim light I could see her face grow hot and she looked down for a few seconds before looking back up. Still not making eye contact. "He kinda slapped me." She said quietly. I almost didn't hear her. I wished I hadn't.

"What the fuck did you just say?" I was tryin' hard not to let myself get too pissed but that wasn't easy. I'd play it cool in front of her and then when I saw the little shit I could beat his head in myself.

"He wasn't being serious." She muttered.

I studied her face but didn't see any kind of mark on her. I was scowling. I could feel it. "Where'd he slap you at?" I growled.

She looked past me once more, eyes scanning ahead for any sign of Carl. She sighed heavily and then dropped her arms to her side. "The diner. We were at the diner."

"That ain't what I was askin' girl and you know it." I snapped and then saw the anger come alive once more in her eyes.

"On the ass. I walked by and he slapped me on the ass and made some rude comment and before I could even tell him where to go Carl had him on the floor. I think he broke his nose. Duane pulled him off and then Rick showed up and then before I knew it he was gone. But now I'm gonna kick his ass. It wasn't none of his business and you all know that I can take care of myself. I learned from you. I don't need nobody fighting for me."

There was a whole lot I wanted to say. But I surprised us both when I simply nodded. Of course, when I got a hold of that little ass slapping piece of shit I was gonna break more than his nose, I was gonna break his neck. But I wasn't gonna tell her that. She was mad enough for the both of us at the moment. So all I did was nod.

She frowned. "You don't have anything to say about that?" She eyed me suspiciously.

"I don't spose I do." I muttered as I shoved my shaking hands into my pockets.

She surprised me then by throwing her arms around my neck. I hugged her back, forcing my hands to unclench. She knew I was pissed. "I'll be home soon. As soon as I kick Carl's ass." She smiled and then kissed me on the cheek. "I love you, _dad._"

"Don't be too late." I grumbled.

She just grinned at me over her shoulder and took off. I almost felt bad for Carl. He'd done a good thing. But kicking that kids ass was my job, not his. Trey was eighteen now. He was old enough to get his ass kicked by a man. Hell, even though Carl was still a few months younger than Sophia he was big enough to take on Trey. I think he may have even gotten to be an inch or so taller than me. And we always had him doin' grunt work so the bastard had started to fill out too. Wasn't nothin' scrawny about that boy. But still. The Trey situation was _mine_. Not his. I didn't give a shit how big he was.

When I finally made it home I was eager to get inside. The living room was dark, which I expected, but there was light coming from the kitchen. She was standing in front of the sink, her back to me. The twins were right there at her feet, toddling around and chewing on some plastic toy rings that someone had brought over for them.

They both looked up and saw me at the same time. Shawn was a little smaller than his brother. And a little more shy too. The other boy, who they had named after Daryl himself, was a lot like Merle. He was pretty fearless for a little shit. They were both a little over a year old. Little Daryl, which is what everybody else called him even though I thought it was stupid, came at me at a dead run but then fell on his ass when his sock covered feet slipped on the tile.

"Damn." The little boy muttered as he tried to stand back up. I picked him up before he could right himself, the kid grinned and smacked me in the forehead.

"You little shit." I grabbed him by the ankles and then held him upside down, causing him to laugh.

Carol spun around. "Daryl, don't do that! You're gonna drop him on his head!"

"Pfft! If the boys anything like his daddy then all's it'll do is damage the floor."

She plucked the boy from me, as usual, and sat him back down on the floor next to his brother, who was eying me with a scowl.

"Where the hell is their momma at?" I asked as soon as she raised back up.

Carol rolled her eyes. "She's helping her daddy. Apparently Carl caused some drama a little while ago. She dropped them off with me since Merle is still out."

"He'll be in soon." I said as I took her in for a second.

"I know." She smiled. "I don't mind watching them anyway. Maggie needs a break sometimes.

I agreed. The poor girl was starting to get big again. I never thought she'd recover from being pregnant with the boys but she had. Hershel was pretty sure that this time there was only one. And Maggie was banking on it being a girl. She seemed to like being pregnant. And I was pretty damn sure that Merle like getting her that way. Better Merle than me. I had Sophia to raise as it was. I didn't hate babies or anything but I didn't want one.

I was pretty sure Carol was sad that she couldn't have anymore but I thought maybe that was because deep down she figured I would want one of my own. I might have missed out on the first twelve years of her life but that little girl was just as much mine as she was Carol's. When I looked at her I saw her momma, I never saw Ed. And every now and then she would get this look in her eye, especially when she was pissed off about somethin' or when she was in the middle of one her fits and I would see myself.

The way she watched other people, figurin' them out before ever talkin' to them, that was me. The way she refused to take any shit off of anybody, no matter if she was in the wrong or not, that was me too. And definitely the way she refused to let this world tear her down, I think that was an equal part me and her momma. Nope. I didn't need no squawlin' ass diaper fillin' babies. I had my damn hands full enough. And I doubted I would have felt any different if we had really lost Sophia. She wasn't somethin' that coulda been replaced. I'd have never done that.

She fixed me a plate and then headed off to the shower, leavin' me to keep an eye on the hellions. I had to leave my food twice to break up a fight. They acted like me and Merle. I couldn't help but laugh cause Shawn would usually get the better of his brother despite the size difference.

Maggie came and picked them up before Carol was even out of the shower. That was a good thing. I took the stairs two at a time but it was too late. She was coming out of the bathroom before I had a chance to get to the shower. Lucky me, though, all she was wearing was a towel.

"What are you doing?" She grinned and backed away towards the bedroom door as I advanced on her.

It didn't matter that she'd been mine for over two years. I should have been desensitized by now. But I wasn't. Not at all. I figured I would still want her, with every cell in my body, until I was dead.

Her back hit the bedroom door. Our bedroom door.

"Daryl, the boys..."

"Are gone." I grinned.

"But Sophia..."

"Is out kickin' Carl's ass."

I reached for the doorknob and then she finally grinned. "You're worse than your brother, you know that?"

I had to laugh as I pushed her into the room and then kicked the door shut. It was dark but I had made this trek plenty enough times to know exactly where the hell everything was. "Merle ain't got shit on me, woman."

She pushed the hair back from my face. It was long now but I didn't care. I liked it because she liked it. "I really doubt he does." She laughed softly right before I claimed her mouth.

My heart was hammering in my chest the way it always did when I kissed her. Or when she kissed me. Or when I thought about kissing her. I tossed the towel to the side and then pulled away long enough to get my shirt off before finding her mouth again.

I was a man living in a walled town, sometimes surrounded by the walking dead, always watching for the murderous living, never knowing what was going to come at us from all sides. And I was _happy._ I wouldn't trade any of it for anything.

I grinned against her mouth when her hands made their way to the button of my pants. Yeah, this was about as perfect as it could get. I was a lucky man. Life was fuckin' great.

_**Two years gone...**_

_**Sophia**_

I usually didn't like to be out after dark alone. It wasn't that I was afraid to be but it was smarter to keep your ass in the house when the sun went down. Just because I wasn't really afraid of the danger out there didn't mean I was stupid enough to invite it in. I had lived through enough of that for a few lifetimes. But there was no way that shit head was getting away with this. How _dare _he act that way! I should've calmed down, but there was going to be none of that.

I hesitated outside of his house. I knew that Rick had probably sent him home but I couldn't be sure that is where he went. I had already checked everywhere else he could have been so he must have listened to his dad for once.

I wasn't about to knock on the door. It was hard to tell when Judith would be asleep and I wasn't going to face the wrath of Lori if I knocked and woke her up.

I walked around to the back of the house. I would go in the same way I usually did. The light was on in his room. His bedroom, of course, was on the second floor but that wasn't a problem. I climbed the tree that I had been climbing for nearly two years now and made my way across the large limb that would take me straight to the window. The coward better not have locked me out either. He did that when he knew I was really pissed and if he knew me, which he did better than anyone, then he would know that I was beyond pissed at this point.

The window slid open easily and I climbed in. He was lying across his bed, arms folded under his head. He watched me for a few seconds and then he frowned and rolled his eyes when I crossed my arms over my chest. He gave me that "here we go again" look that he knew I hated.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I whispered as harshly as I could.

He sat up and swung his long legs over the side of his bed. He had hit a growth spurt a while back ago and sometimes I wondered if he was ever going to stop growing. At almost fifteen he was as tall as the men. For the last few months Daryl hadn't even had to look down to glare at him.

"You just want me to stand around and watch some guy treat you like that?" He asked.

I scowled down at him. "No. I expect you to at least give me a chance to stick up for myself. You didn't have to go and break his nose! I could have broken his nose on my own."

He sighed and then stood up. Now I had to look up at him, which I didn't like. "I wasn't thinkin'." He grumbled.

"Pfft. You never do." I scoffed.

"Really?" he growled. "Fine. Next time some creep tries to feel up on your ass I'll take a seat and watch. If it's that big of a deal." He took a step closer. "And you heard what he said!"

"Are you forgetting something here, Carl?"

"What's that? That you're overly dramatic?" He sneered.

"No, you idiot! It's _my _ass. And I can handle myself."

We stood there for a long time just staring at each other. He was so damn frustrating! Every time _he_ did something stupid he was able to turn it all around so I looked like the jerk.

Finally he shrugged. "You're right. It's your ass. Sorry I thought that the guy was out of line. Next time I'll mind my own business and let you handle everything. God knows if I don't then I'll never hear the end of it."

What a jackass! I wasn't finished bitching him out but I was about finished for now. All he was doing was making it worse and I didn't even want to look at him anymore. "Screw you, Carl." I snapped and then spun on my heel. I was about to crawl back out onto the limb but a pair of strong hands had me by the waist and pulled me back in. He had me lifted off the ground and then he turned away from the window before he set me on my feet again.

I spun around just as he slid the window shut. "What in the _hell_ do you think you're doing? Are you outta your damn mind?" I snapped. I wanted to hit him. I really wanted to hit him. Right in the face.

"No. But I am about tired of your shit." He said calmly as he leaned against the window sill.

My chin dropped but I quickly righted myself, shutting my mouth and planting my hands on my hips. "Move." I said, mustering the most menacing voice I could.

He leaned into my face, eyes flashing. "No. You do this every time. You get pissed off and you give me a bunch of shit and then you storm off before I can even say anything. So no. Not this time, little girl. You'll stay right here until we get past this. And let's see if we can do it without you throwing a damn temper tantrum."

My mouth nearly fell open again but I caught myself. Was he serious? "Do you honestly think I wont kick your ass?" I fumed.

"I think you'll try." He smirked.

That smirk did it for me. I swung right at his face but my fist never connected. He caught my wrist, surprisingly fast. He shook his head, still smirking.

"You're gonna listen, Sophia. God, why don't you ever listen to anything I try to tell you?" He let go of my wrist then and I stepped away.

"Fine. Talk." I took another step back, planting my hands on my hips again.

"I really am sorry for not letting you handle that jerk, okay? I knew you could do it. I just got pissed off."

His eyes searched mine for a few long seconds and I was really starting to feel bad for giving him so much crap. Not just about this either. I was always giving him crap, no matter what he did. I never acted that way with Duane. It was just always Carl. Which was weird because Carl was the one that I was closest too.

"Well, it was still stupid. It wasn't like he was slapping _your_ ass." I was losing steam and he could see it.

I expected him to laugh or at least crack a smile, he didn't do either. He just kept on staring at me with those ultra blue eyes until all I wanted to do was look away. But I couldn't.

"Do you have any idea how much I care about you? How much I've _always _cared about you? Because sometimes I don't think you see it at all."

His words caught me off guard and suddenly my mind went back to a time I usually tried hard not to remember. After that psycho had killed me it had been Carl who brought me back. He saved my life. And like that wasn't enough, every night after that I was plagued with nightmares that had me waking up screaming. That first time he had been there. He had stayed with me so I could sleep. Of course, Daryl had banned him from my room after that. And for a week straight, I would wake up at least twice a night, screaming.

After the seventh night Daryl had actually walked to Carl's house, explained to Rick what was going on, and had gotten the boy out of bed. He had trudged over, in the dark, just so he could sleep, sitting up on the couch so I could curl up next to him and sleep without the nightmares. And as long as he was there, I didn't dream at all. For six months he slept on the couch at my house until I didn't need him anymore.

"I know you care, Carl." I whispered. All the fight in me was gone now. I even felt guilty for coming here in the first place.

He shook his head and then, to my surprise, grabbed both my hands and pulled me closer. That used to be something we did all the time. I wasn't sure when that had stopped but it had become too awkward. I think maybe we had stopped holding hands once his voice changed and I grew boobs but I wasn't positive. "I don't think you do." He whispered.

"Carl, I would be really stupid to not know that you care after everything we've been through together." I shrugged. "It's me and you. That's how it's always been."

He dropped my hands suddenly and it was strange how disappointed that made me feel, until they went to my waist. What the hell was he doing? Suddenly the room felt too small. I almost felt like a trapped animal. I was much too hot in here and it was becoming hard to breath.

I didn't realize that my hands had moved to his forearms until I was feeling my nails digging into his flesh. I relaxed my grip but he tightened his. Why was he still looking at me like that?

"I know you're gonna think this is stupid, and you can tell me that it is if you want too. I'm actually kinda expectin' it. But we've had a hard life. We've been forced into situations that people twice our age wouldn't have been able to cope with. You've died, I watched you die, we've killed, we've fought and we've won and we've done all that crazy shit together. I don't care how many years we've been _alive_, what matters is what we've _survived_. We ain't kids. We ain't stupid. We've been adults for a long time now. Do you understand what I'm tryin' to say? At all?"

His eyes were wide, almost pleading with me to understand where he was going and a part of me did but I was too scared to push past all the confusion that was suddenly clouding my thoughts. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. I wanted to bolt out of the room but I didn't.

"Do you?" He pressed.

I shook my head. It was the only response I was going to be able to give him at the moment. I came here looking for a fight. I wasn't ready for any of this. But he was. How long had I known this was coming? Did I ever expect it not to come? I wasn't sure what to do. I was suppose to be the one that acted like the grown up. But right then I felt like a kid. My heart was beating too fast and I was sure he could hear it in the quiet of the room.

"You're gonna make me say it aren't you?" The corner of his mouth pulled up and one of his hands slid under my hair and onto the nape of my neck.

I wasn't expecting him to say anything. I was expecting him to do something. My hand let go of his arm and came up to clutch the charm at the end of that necklace he had gotten for me what seemed like twenty years ago. It was a nervous habit. Any time I felt the least bit nervous I would play with that charm. It made me feel better.

"I love you." He whispered, still not taking his eyes off mine.

My hand stilled on the charm as my stomach hit my feet. My heart started beating even faster than it had before and my breath was suddenly stuck in my throat. Had he really just said that? And how had I gotten so much closer to him. He was still sitting on the edge of the windowsill, I was still standing in front of him. But now he was close enough for the hand that was on my waist to slide around until it rested at the small of my back. I still hadn't said anything. What was I suppose to say? People our age didn't feel things like that. Did they? But hadn't it been years now since I figured that what I felt for him was, indeed, love? I had even talked to my mom about it but she hadn't been much help. My mom sometimes still thought in terms of how things used to be. Not how things were now.

I smoothed the charm between my fingers but it was bringing me no comfort now. I was standing there like an idiot. I had no idea what to say to this boy. Even though I knew what I _felt_. It was almost like voicing it would break some sort of spell. It was something I had kept to myself for a very long time and telling him something like that now would change everything. But he already had changed everything. Hadn't he?

I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. That was something I had gotten from Daryl. It was usually calming. Nothing was calming at the moment.

"Are you gonna say somethin'?" He asked in a whisper so quiet that I barely even heard him.

"What am I suppose to say?" I breathed. My voice was almost nothing at this point.

He moved his face until it was very close to mine and then he shrugged. "Tell me I'm an idiot. Call me a dumb jackass for sayin' somethin' so stupid. Tell me that you don't feel the same way and that I would have to be delusional to think that I could love you when you're so much older and wiser than me. By a whole twelve weeks." He smirked at that. "Or you can just tell me you love me back."

"We're just kids." I whispered.

He shook his head slowly. "We ain't been just kids since before Daryl found us in the woods. That's no excuse. Think of a better one. You ain't gotta let me down easy. Channel your inner Dixon, girl. I'm a lot bigger now so I can handle it."

Channel my inner Dixon. I could do that. I could kick the shit out of him. I could call him every low down name in the book. I could scream and yell and throw a fit. I could even try to put my fist through the wall. It was good advice. I channeled my inner Dixon and decided that whatever I did next, I was gonna do it like a champ. So I followed my instincts just like Daryl would do when he found himself in a jam. He'd told me before, when shit got real, act, don't think.

And so I acted, like a champ. I grabbed him by the back of the head and pulled his face towards me without thinking about it at all and crushed my lips to his. I had absolutely no idea what the hell I was doing but I figured I was doing an okay job when he started kissing me back. His hands went around my waist, pulling me those last few inches, mine slid around his neck.

I couldn't tell who's heart was pounding faster but I could feel his through both of our shirts and I was sure he could feel mine. His lips were soft and felt like they were the perfect match for my own. My eyes were closed and the blood rushing in my ears was blotting out any other sound other than our breathing. I was about to pull away when I felt his hands touch the skin of my back but I didn't have time.

"Carl!"

I spun around at the sound of Lori's strained shriek. I had spun so quickly that Carl hadn't even had time to drop his hands and now they were pressed against my stomach. I pushed his hands away and brought my fingers to my lips. They felt hot. Lori looked like she was being strangled but Rick, who was standing right behind behind her, looked as though he were trying to hide a smile.

"Sophia! Out!" Lori yelled.

I nodded and was about to bolt but Carl's hand on mine stopped me.

"Lori, it's fine. It was bound to happen." Rick said as he tried to sooth his distraught wife. I was still too dumbfounded to pull my hand out of Carl's grasp.

"Fine? This is not fine, Rick! He's a little boy!" Lori roared.

"Lori, he ain't a little boy." Rick said gently.

They heard wailing coming from down the hall and Lori cursed under her breath. "You handle this, Rick." She said with an angry finger pointed in his face.

Rick nodded and then watched her storm off down the hall. He didn't turn back towards us until we all heard the door slam. My face was flaming. I could feel it and the fact that I had somehow, unknowingly, twined my fingers through Carl's wasn't helping matters. Rick studied us for a few long seconds and then he almost smiled. "Five minutes. I'll come back in five minutes and you best be down that tree and headed home Sophia."

"Can I walk her? It's dark out there." Carl asked hopefully.

Rick chewed his lip for a second but then nodded. "Might as well enjoy it while it lasts. Daryl's gonna hear about this in the mornin'."

"Oh God." I moaned.

Rick chuckled and then shut the door.

I was still standing there, pressed against his back, holding his hand. I wasn't sure what to do. I couldn't believe I had done that. My lips were still tingling, my head still clouded, my heart still racing but I didn't know if I should turn around. I finally decided to stop being a coward. I knew he hadn't expected me to do that. Hell, I hadn't expected me to do that. But it was done and now I had to face the consequences. I took a deep breath and then turned to face him.

As soon as I did he was kissing me again. More boldly this time than the last. I lost myself for a few long seconds but then I pulled away.

"I should go." I whispered. "I don't need Daryl lookin' for me. Tomorrow's gonna be bad. I think he might finally kill you."

He shook his head and I noticed that his hands lingered on my back. "He wont. He'll want too but he wont. Ever since that night with Philip he's different."

"We were all different after that night." I said in voice that shook slightly.

"Yeah, but he's different with me. He knew all this was coming." His eyes met mine once more. "Everybody did but you." He looked towards the door and shrugged. "And maybe my mom."

I groaned. I would never be able to look at either of his parents again.

He twined his fingers through mine once more and pulled me towards the door.

"Carl, there is no way I'm walking out your front door. I don't wanna see your mom. Like, ever again."

He rolled his eyes and went to the window, sliding it open silently. "You first."

As soon as we hit the sidewalk his hand found mine again but he didn't say a word. I was glad because I had no idea what the hell to say to him. What did all of this even mean? Was he my boyfriend now? _Carl?_ We were constantly fighting. He was always doing something to piss me off, most of the time on purpose. But he was usually the first thing I thought about when I woke up in the morning and the last thing I thought about before I went to sleep at night. He was always there when I needed someone. He was the only person in the world I would let see me cry. There had been so many nights that I had crept through his window and sobbed like a kid into his chest. And he never mocked me for it. He never thought I was weak for it. He was just there for me. I trusted him more than anyone else in the world.

We stopped outside of my house. It was dark so they had went to bed without waiting up for me. I was glad. But now I was starting to feel really stupid just standing there holding his hand in the dark. It wasn't like there were any street lights or anything.

"I'll see ya tomorrow." He muttered.

"Yeah."

Neither one of made a move to let go of the others hand.

"So, you're not still mad? About Trey?" he asked as he moved so he was standing in front of me.

I laughed. "I forgot about that, actually."

He laughed with me. "I guess that's a good thing."

"You're mom is gonna nail the window shut." I said with a sigh. I finally looked up at him and smiled just as he bent down and kissed me lightly, almost shyly.

"There's always your window." he said with a sly look as he raised back up.

"Yeah, I'm sure Daryl would react way better than your mom did." I said dryly.

"Carl!" Lori called from down the street, causing us both to jump.

He cursed under his breath as he glared over my head towards his moms voice. "I better go." He mumbled, finally dropping my hand.

I nodded, hating that he was leaving and then feeling stupid that I suddenly felt that way. He got about two feet away before I mustered up the nerve. "Carl." I whispered, thinking he wouldn't even hear me. But he stopped and then turned, eying me with a smile.

"I love you too, ya know. I kinda have for years now." I was still whispering but he must have heard me because in two long strides he was once more right in front of me, one hand on my hip and the other tangled up in my hair. He kissed me just like I had kissed him before.

It didn't really matter that we were probably gonna have a really rough time figuring all this out. And it didn't matter that neither of us knew what the hell the future could possibly hold for us. Hell, at the moment, it didn't even matter that Daryl was probably going to kill him in the morning. What mattered was the fact that it felt right. Like I was right where I needed to be. And no matter what I faced, I wouldn't ever have to face it alone because this stupid boy was always gonna be right there with me through it all. I was still Sophia. He was still Carl. And I never thought I would say it after everything we'd been through. Never thought I would feel it at the end of the world, but life was really good. When he pulled away he grinned like a moron and then his mouth was on mine once more, it wasn't going to take us long at all to figure this whole kissing thing out. Did I mention that life was good? That was the understatement of the apocalypse. Life was fuckin' _great._

_**Two years gone...**_

_**Merle**_

I wasn't too sure what time it was when I got back. Martinez opened the gate for me and then helped move the carcasses inside the diner where all the food was stored. We hung them in the freezer. Three large bucks and a good sized doe. I probably shoulda cleaned them first but I was beat. I missed my boys and Maggie somethin' awful.

Right before I started up the sidewalk to the house I sensed someone behind me. I spun around and was greeted by Duane and his shit eatin' grin. The little bastard wasn't all that little anymore. At sixteen he was about three inches taller than me now. But he was still a bean pole. He threw an arm over my shoulders.

"You're getting' slow old man." He laughed as we made our way up the steps.

"You're just too goddamn skinny to make any noise ya little fucker." I was probably tellin' the truth. I wasn't too worried though. He was gonna fill out eventually. "Where's your daddy?"

Duane rolled his eyes. "Out. He's been sneakin' around with that damn woman a year now. You'd think they would cut the shit, ya know?"

I couldn't help but laugh. Morgan and Michonne had been messin' around for a while now. Everybody knew it but neither of them would admit a damn thing. It was pretty sad. They coulda just moved in together and got it on whenever they wanted. It wasn't like Duane wasn't always over here to begin with. Hell, the boy had his own fuckin' room.

"You think Maggie cooked anything? I'm starved." He asked as we headed into the house.

The living room was empty except for the toys strewn out all over the floor. "Boy, you're damn near grown, get your ass your own supper. And pick this shit up for Maggie, these boys are runnin' her ragged."

Duane just nodded and got to work. Sometimes I didn't know what me and Maggie would do without that kid. Made me glad that his daddy was sneakin' around with Michonne. Not that I just wanted him around for the help. He was like my own in a lot of ways. Before comin' here he had been my responsibility and I hadn't realized it at the time but I'd loved the kid. Still did, but he wouldn't ever hear it. Hell, he figured that he hadn't kicked his ass yet, that was sayin' a lot.

Maggie wasn't in the kitchen but I could hear her voice comin' from the bathroom at the end of the hall. I flinched a little at how tired she really sounded. I shouldn't have been gone so long or I should have made sure I told Duane to stick around and help her out. Little Daryl was a fuckin' hellion and Shawn wouldn't hesitate to knock the shit out of his brother when he got out of hand. It was hard to believe they wasn't but fourteen months old.

There she was, bent over the tub, both boys grinnin' like fools with their hair a soapy mess. They noticed me before she did and their grins got bigger. She knew then that I was behind her. She turned her head and smiled herself.

"Ya need some help?" Damn, I shoulda stayed with her. She looked like she always had. Fuckin' unbelievable, but she looked like she needed to get off her feet.

"I woulda had this done sooner but daddy needed some help." She said with a sigh. "Trey came in with a broken nose."

I couldn't even try to hide the smile. "Sophia?"

Maggie rinsed the boys hair out and shook her head. "Carl."

I laughed. I was wonderin' when that kid was gonna start throwin' his weight around. Fuckin' boy's already as big as Daryl. He didn't just grow _up_ like Duane did, that kid grew _out_ too. He was gonna be a bull. I liked that too cause if anybody fucked around with Sophia Carl was gonna hurt'em. "What'd the guy do to piss Carl off?"

I didn't really like that look she was givin' me. Like she was wanderin' how much to say. She finally just shook her head and sighed. "Some of the kids were hangin' out in the diner. Sophia walked by and Trey slapped her on the ass and said some pretty rude stuff."

I clenched my teeth and took a few deep breaths before I said anything. "The fuck did he say to her?" I didn't give a fuck that she was fifteen, or damn near it, that little mother fucker was eighteen now. And I was really considerin' feedin' him his teeth.

"Duane said that he asked her when she was gonna let him try out that new body of hers."

I didn't want her to know how mad I was. I didn't want her to stress herself out over me. But I was gonna fuck that little son of a bitch up the first chance I got. I knew this shit was gonna happen. I'd been worried about it for months now. That girl went from kid to grown in a matter of weeks. That's what it seemed like anyway. I felt bad for Daryl. But at least she had Carl around. That counted for somethin'. Obviously.

"Well, at least she's got Carl to have her back." I muttered as she handed me a drippin' Shawn draped in towel. She sat Little Daryl down on the floor to dry him off but the little mean ass took off down the hall at a dead run, naked as the day he was born.

"I got it!" Duane yelled down the hall.

Duane had the boy subdued, diapered and dressed before I could even get Shawn to be still long enough to find him somethin' to sleep in. But after all that hectic shit it hadn't taken either of the boys long to fall asleep. I stayed in the room for a while, watchin'em. I still had a hard time believin' I was anybody's daddy. But Maggie had been right that night that she was usin' that as a way to keep me from killin' that sick bastard. I didn't believe it but somehow she'd just known. Leave it to me to knock the girl up the very first time I could give it to her right.

When she finally told me that it was true. That I was gonna be daddy I think I may have pissed myself. I can't much remember. I had a few panic attacks that I was sure was gonna kill me. I left the house. Fuck, I left the whole goddamn town! I was scared. I was fuckin' terrified.

When I had came back she had been sittin' on the steps waitin' on me knowin' I wasn't gonna stay gone. I felt like such a shit head that I damn near fell all over myself apologizin'. Course I was covered in Walker goo and stunk to high heaven. She'd just smiled at me like she always did and told me it was alright so long as I didn't plan on leavin' her over it. Like I could leave her. Dumb girl. I had gotten over it pretty quick. Accepted it. Hell, I even looked forward to it. But then she just kept getting' bigger and bigger and then I got scared to death all over again. Twins. Son of a bitch. But after a while I was okay with that too.

Then one night she wakes me up out of a dead ass sleep and tells me she wants more. More! Like the world wasn't crazy enough with four Dixon boys walkin' it. She said she wanted a girl. Before I could argue she had me half stupid and then I said fuck it and enjoyed the ride. If she wanted babies I'd give'em to her. Now that we were here it wasn't a huge deal.

When I finally left the boys room she was already getting ready for bed. She looked like she really needed some rest. I was a dick for goin' on that huntin' trip but now that game was comin' back in and we had so many mouths to feed it was just smart to keep the freezer full. Nobody had seen a Walker in a long time. Nobody knew if it was because they had all dropped dead or if they migrated, but either way, they needed to keep everything stocked.

"How ya feelin'?" I asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed.

"Tired." She smiled. "Your boys are bad."

I couldn't help but laugh. "If you knew that then how come you got to itchin' for more?"

She shrugged. "I figure eventually I'll get one as sweet as me."

I made a face. "Them boys are sweet. Sometimes."

She was quiet for a while but she looked thoughtful, maybe even a little worried. "I think you might need to keep an eye on your brother for the next few days." She said after he had his boots off.

I frowned. "What would I need to do that for?"

She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Well, Lori came over a few minutes ago."

I waited for her to say something else but she just stood there. "Well, I'll be sure to make sure he's alright. God knows Lori Grimes visitin' you would upset the hell outta my baby brother." I shot her a sarcastic smile.

"She came to borrow some diapers. Anyway, she was really upset."

I looked at her like she was crazy. What the hell was she tryin' to say? "That bitch is always upset."

"Be nice."

"No".

"Anyway, she said that she went up to talk to Carl tonight after he got in that fight with Trey and when she went into his room..."

I could feel the frown morphing into a scowl on my face. "Spit it out, darlin'."

"Well, she said that Carl and Sophia were all over each other. Like... kissin'."

Oh shit. This was what Daryl had spent the last few years waitin' on. His little girl, lip lockin' with the Sheriffs boy. Maybe he really would need to keep an eye on him. Damn, he sure hoped that's all they'd been doin'. "What are the chances that Ol' Lady Grimes will keep this shit to herself?"

The look she gave me confirmed how stupid that question really was. The whole town probably knew about now and the bitch probably made it a point to act like it was all Sophia's doin'.

"I don't guess I would worry about it too much. You know how stuff like that is. It's big news for a few days and then everyone gets over it pretty fast." She said as she stretched.

I couldn't help but eye the slight bulge. I never thought there was anything attractive about a pregnant woman before. I kind of always thought it was gross. Some guys were into that shit. I wasn't one of'em. Not until now, anyway. Maybe it was cause I knew that it was _my_ kid growin' in there. Or it could have been the simple fact that it was Maggie and at this point I wouldn't have given a fuck if her hair fell out and she grew a third arm outta her ass. I loved her for a lot of reasons.

It wasn't like when we'd first met. When we first met I wanted to fuck her because she was hot. Now I wanted to fuck her because she was hot _and_ because I loved her. I told her that once. She'd laughed like I'd told some brilliant joke. I was actually tryin' my hand at some romance. I guessed I just didn't have much of a knack for it. Didn't matter, though. She knew all about how I was when she first met me to begin with.

I had her lay down while I got myself a shower. I didn't figure she would still be awake when I was done but she was laying there, grinning like a mad woman. "I'm glad you're home." She stretched again.

I didn't understand how she looked so good wearing my old shirts but she did. She could have had a closet full of lace and silk and I'd never think none of it would be as sexy as an oversized black t-shirt. "I wasn't gone long."

"Not long is still too long." She said quietly.

"I'm gonna stop goin' at all." I muttered as I crawled in next to her.

This had her frowning. "You like it, Merle. I don't want you to stop doin' what you like just cause of me."

"You're runnin' yourself ragged girl. Them other men can do the huntin'. I need to be here." I mumbled as I reached for the lamp.

"It ain't about needin' so much, Merle. It's about wantin' and I ain't wantin' you to stop doin' things you like just so you can try to baby me. I don't need that and neither do you. I'm the one that was hell bent on another baby."

"I didn't put up much of a fight." I laughed and then rolled over so I could face her. I flattened my hand over her stomach and sighed. Her hand covered mine like it always did.

She laughed, causing the baby to move under my palm. Nobody knew it but her but I was completely fuckin' fascinated by all this shit. It was almost like a man going his whole life unable to see and then he wakes up one day with working eyes. Everything becoming clear and in focus. I was still the same man I had been, I had just needed a little help peeling off the layers of armor I had built up. Sometimes I would find the old me rearing up. I would find myself ready to rip somebody's throat out when they pissed me off. Sometimes I would even say I was goin' on a huntin' trip just so I could go bludgeon a few Walkers to blow off some steam. Yeah, I was the same man. Just not as quick to dismiss the good shit.

It moved once more, pulling me out of my thoughts. When she was pregnant the first time I had kept my hands to himself. I was scared to death. I acted like an indifferent jackass. Until she went to sleep anyway. Then I would sneak and put my hand on her and every time I would feel one of the boys move I would get this weird feeling in my stomach. I had never seen them. Didn't know them from Adam. But I had already loved them to the point of pain. After they were born that feeling just grew until sometimes I couldn't even think about how much I loved them cause the ache it caused was much too intense. I figured that's how a daddy was spose to feel. A good one anyhow. And that's what I was gonna be.

It wasn't any different with this one. It did make it harder for me to think about my own folks. Sick sadistic mother fuckers. From the very first second the girl told me I had done knocked her up, all bets were off. Oh, sure, I had thrown a goddamn idiot fit, but not a second after she told me that she had _my_ kid growin' inside her, I realized that there wasn't a damn thing I would ever do to hurt it.

I wasn't afraid to kill. I even had to admit that a fucked up part of me liked it. A lot. But I wouldn't have just killed for them. I woulda done _anything_ I had to do to keep them safe. But me and Daryl hadn't have that. Never. Just each other.

That was one of the reason for my fear. The reason I never wanted to have any kids. I didn't wanna be like them. Like my own folks. I was afraid that I wouldn't have it in me to give a fuck about my own kids. I was afraid that I was too hard and would end up hurtin' them the way that my own folks had hurt me and my brother. But it didn't take me long to realize that I was Merle mother fuckin' Dixon and I was my own goddamn man. I wasn't my daddy. Maggie wasn't my momma, and my kids was gonna be just fine.

I was just about asleep when I heard a familiar sound. An obnoxious bangin' on the wall to our bedroom. Maggie groaned and was about to get up but I held her down with my hand.

"I got it." I grumbled into her hair.

"I love you. Even if your son is just as wild as you are." She laughed.

"You better. And I think he acts more like you." I kissed her and then crawled my sorry ass outta the bed. Just as I expected when I turned the light on there was my boy, beatin' on the wall with a plastic truck. They didn't cry much. None lately, but he had to get our attention somehow. I probably shoulda took the damn toy away and made him go back to sleep but I wasn't tired anymore. Shawn, who we named after Maggie's brother, was still laying in his bed but he wasn't asleep either. He looked annoyed, like he usually did at his brothers antics. They were so much like me and Daryl I couldn't help but laugh.

I lifted them out of their beds and set them both on the floor. Duane stuck his head in just then.

"You need any help?" He asked. He must have been bored cause he sounded almost hopeful.

I shook my head and picked up the toy box. Both of the boy grinned then, knowin' exactly what I was about to do, then I dumped every damn toy they owned onto the floor. "Just another night in the Dixon house, son. Might as well get your ass over here and join us."

Duane sat next to me with his back against the wall as the boys dove in for a late night of fuckin' their room up. This happened all the time. Me and Duane would clean up their shit once they played themselves out and then when I had to make rounds at daybreak and Duane would have to go to school, they would be so worn out they would sleep in long enough for Maggie to get some extra hours of sleep in herself.

She never knew why they always slept so much better when I was home. Me and Duane never said a word to her about what had turned in to a nightly ritual. She would probably say we needed our sleep too.

Me and Duane watched them, laughin' at their antics and talkin' about whatever happened to come up while we waited for them to wear themselves out. The house was quiet. I never would have pictured myself in a place like this or with a life like this. Never saw the appeal. I had to get here to realize that this was what I had always wanted. I was always just too goddamn stubborn to admit it. Too chicken shit to pursue it. To broken to believe I deserved it.

I couldn't help but smile. Sittin' here with my three boys while my girls slept on in the other room, as fucked up and crazy as it sounded, life was pretty good. Shit, who was I kiddin'? Life was fuckin' great. Took my simple minded ass long enough.

_**Two years gone...**_

_**Carol**_

I wasn't sure what woke me up. I usually never woke up in the middle of the night. Not anymore. I tried to go back to sleep but it was eluding me. I figured I could go downstairs and sit on the porch. It was still warm enough for that and I wanted to enjoy it while the weather held. It was unseasonably warm. Some called it Indian Summer. Now days, in this house, it was called a 'fuckin' break'. I smiled in the dark.

I tried to move as slowly as possible but as soon as I moved enough to not be pressed up against his chest he woke up and yanked me back to where I had been. I couldn't hide my quiet laughter.

"Tryin' to sneak off in the middle of the night, woman? You should know better by now."

"I can't sleep." I whispered. I tried to move away once more but he had a firm grip around my waist, my back pressed against his bare chest.

"You shoulda said somethin' then." He muttered into my ear causing every muscle in me to tremble a little.

"I was going to go outside for a while. Enjoy the warm air while it lasts. I don't think I can go back to sleep." I tried once more to get away but when his calloused fingers traced lightly down my hip I froze and my breath caught. I covered his hand with my own and then brought it up, kissing his scarred knuckles lightly. "I need to go check to see if Sophia is back yet."

"That's fightin' dirty." He chuckled into my shoulder but he gave me a gentle shove. "Go on then." He sighed.

"You're so deprived." I teased and he rolled onto his back and slung his arm across his eyes.

"Shut up." He was grinning, I could see it even in the darkness of the bedroom.

I slipped on a long sleeved t-shirt and some flannel pajama bottoms before sliding back across the bed to kiss him. It was just a peck but then his arms came around me and jerked me down until I was on top of him. I wriggled to try to free myself and I struggled to hush my own laughter but his arms were stronger so I finally stilled against him.

I never could get over this mans drive. He was insatiable. I used to read about men like that in the old romance novel's I had kept hidden from Ed. But I thought they were just figments of the imaginations of lonely women. As I finally gave in and let my hands run up his hard chest and then over the muscles in his strong arms I knew, as I had known that very first mind blowing time on the farm, that men like that were very real and I had one of them who was always ready and willing.

"You sure you wanna go?" he asked in a husky voice.

I kissed him softly and smiled. "No. But I'm sure I need too. You never know. You say she went to kick his ass. But what if she did and now they're making up?"

"Jesus, Carol." he dropped his arms to his side. "You know how to kill a mood, ya know that?"

I had to just shrug. "It's true. But I promise, I'll be back and I'll take care of you."

"Go on, then." He said again, sounding as petulant as ever.

I hurried out after that, afraid that if I stayed then I really wouldn't leave that bed, or more like, leave the man in the bed. I made my way silently to Sophia's door and peaked in. I had been so sure that she would be there that I had to do a double take when I saw that her bed was still made. She hadn't came home yet. Shit!

I shut her door and then crept past our bedroom door. I wasn't about to get Daryl up yet. I would just go down to Rick's and make her come home before Daryl even knew she was gone. And then I was going to chew the girl out. Daryl was better than he had been but he was filled with a world of new worries now that Sophia was older. I wouldn't tell him unless I didn't have a choice.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs I was surprised to see light coming in from the kitchen. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I made my way through the downstairs. What would that crazy girl be doing in the kitchen this late. It was obvious she hadn't been to bed yet.

She was sitting there at the kitchen table. Her hair had lightened up a lot since she spent so much time outside and she had the blonde locks pulled back in a ponytail, her blue eyes were staring off at nothing and she seemed to be nervously working on her thumbnail. Another bad habit she had learned from Daryl.

"Sophia?" I said as gently as I could but she still jumped at the sudden sound.

When she spotted me in the doorway she gave me a sheepish smile. "Hi." She said before she began working on her nail again.

"You haven't even been to bed yet?" I said as I poured us both a glass of water.

"I've been down here. I wasn't tired." She muttered.

When I turned around she was glancing nervously towards the doorway. I knew what she was waiting for and it made me wander why she would be waiting for him.

"He's asleep." I smiled as I offered her the glass.

She seemed to be relieved and I watched her closely as I took the seat across from her. "What happened?" I asked after just a few long seconds. I knew something had happened. She never acted like this and it was more than just her fight with Carl because that happened all the time. It was more strange for the two of them to not fight.

She shrugged. Nothin' really."

I could feel the frown on my face but she didn't go on. "Sophia, is this about that stuff that Trey said to you? Is that bothering you?" I asked as gently as I could even though at this point I was ready go break the boys nose myself.

She looked at me and shook her head. "Nah, nothing like that. I don't care what that jerk says. He's been saying crap to me for years."

"Yeah, but nothing like that." I said, as casually as I could.

"Carl just freaked me out mom. It isn't something you gotta worry about."

She sounded annoyed and this time I was pretty sure she was annoyed at me and not Carl.

"Well, I guess if if you don't want to talk to me about it then I can go wake..."

"No!" She hissed and I couldn't help but smile as she glanced nervously at the doorway.

"Then talk." I ordered. I usually didn't try to pry to much when it came to her. I remembered being a teenager and there wasn't anything more annoying than a parent that tried to get in your business all the time. But something was really bothering her and I wanted to know what the hell it was because if this Trey kid really had bothered her this much I was definitely going to have Daryl go after him. Law was different here. There were a lot of times that problems were solved with fists. It was how things had to be. And Daryl would be thrilled. He hated the kid.

"Carl told me he loved me." She blurted and then started chewing her other nail.

I was pretty stunned. I never would have guessed that one. He didn't seem like the type to say something like that. But then again I had to think about Daryl. He had said it and he was less likely to say it than Carl was.

I sighed. I had been expecting something and now something was finally here. Daryl's demon. The thing that bothered him the most was rearing it's ugly head and all either of them could do was hope that he was able to deal with it like an adult. "And what did you say?" I asked. Not voicing my thoughts out loud.

She shrugged. "Nothin' at first."

I felt one eyebrow raise speculatively. "At first?"

She nodded. "Look mom. I'm sure you are all going to hear about it tomorrow. I'm going to go on to bed. Expect Daryl to have one of his fits." She got up from her chair and before I could even think of something else to say she kissed my forehead and hurried out of the room.

I sat there for a few more minutes to process what she had said. She must have had a positive reaction if we were looking at this from Carl's perspective. If it was something that was going to cause Daryl to have a fit then something happened and whatever happened was something that was seen by someone other than Duane.

I rinsed out our glasses and turned out the lights behind me. I wasn't really in the mood to sit outside anymore. Daryl was going to have a really bad day. He needed me now, maybe there was something I could do to ease some of his tension.

I slipped into our room silently, knowing he would hear me anyway if he was still awake. He didn't seem to be. He was lying on his stomach with the pillow over his head, blankets only pulled up to his waist. I could have stood there and admired the view for hours but I didn't. I took off the pajama bottoms and crawled back into bed. I didn't lay down next to him the way I normally did. I kept crawling until I was straddling his hips.

He pulled the pillow off his head and then craned his neck to look back at me. His hair was in his face but I could still see the grin. I dug the heels of my hands onto his lower back and he groaned. I worked on him for a long time. Not rushing and not letting myself get too worked up. I tried anyway. His muscles were tense and I wasn't planning on stopping until that tension was gone. Even though there was another kind of tension growing in myself.

When I finally made my way up to his neck I was breathing heavily.

"You _tryin'_ to kill me, woman?" He grunted and then rolled over, hands going straight to my hips.

I shoved his hands away and moved down, taking the blanket with me. My eyes flicked up and I knew he was watching me so I brought my mouth down just where his thigh met his hip and just barely grazed my lips over the skin there. The steady rise and fall of his chest became faster as I continued on, purposely ignoring the parts of him that I knew he wanted me to put my mouth on.

He finally, probably out of sheer frustration, tried to guide my head over with his hand but I grabbed the hand and looked up, shaking my head. He blew out a heavy breath and glared at me. He did things like this to me all the time. It was my turn. See how he liked getting teased half to death.

He was about to pull the hand away but I held onto it and then sucked two fingers into my mouth, down to the last knuckle. He made a whimpering sound in the back of his throat and it was amazing what a turn on it was to know that someone wanted you so bad.

"Goddamn it, Carol. You gotta do somethin'. Please." His voice cracked on that last word and I laughed. That was the wrong thing to do. He sat up, grabbed my hands and yanked me up so my face was next to his. He didn't give me time to move before he slammed me onto my back and then he was grinning down at me.

"You never let me have any fun, Dixon." I sighed but it turned into another laugh when he grabbed my hands and pinned them above my head. The laugh was cut off when his lips assaulted mine greedily.

I was bracing myself for him. I always did that and was never prepared for how good he felt. No matter how many times this happened, and this happened a lot, it was always shocking. A part of me knew that it wasn't just the physical aspect of it, but the way we connected on every other level also. I was never able to articulate it right, even in my own mind, but it was there. Something bigger than me and him and sex and love and life and loss. Pain didn't exist here. It was it's own place, and it was only ours. Some strange place filled with a fire that didn't burn us, where time didn't matter and where past and future were things unknown.

And I had found it all in him. At the edge of Armageddon. And there wasn't anything I would take for what I had. Because here, in this place, I was Carol Dixon. And life was fuckin' great.

**So there you have it. Life is fuckin' great. Haha. I'm really sad this is over but I have a little more in me, I believe. I know that this went much much further than I ever thought it would. I could have written three stories with the material I have in this one. But I'm glad I did it this way. I guess that's what made this story so much fun to write. The kids, the Caryl, the Merlie... Fun stuff. If I have the time to write it and you all have the time to read it then why the hell not just go with it? There are a few of you out there that have been a big help to me, not just with this story but the first one too and to you, much much love. I would have never gotten to this point if it weren't for some really supportive reviewers ;)**

** Axelrocks, if it wasn't for you, there would be no story. It is that simple. SO thank you for the late nights and always having my back! I love you!**

** HGRHfan35, you have gotten me out of the writers dumps more times than you probably realize ;) You are brilliant and awesome and your dog is beautiful! **

**Green Owl, Ahhh, my grammatical conscience! Your reviews made me smile! Sometimes they made me blush. They always made me happy ;)**

**Yazzy x, you are always sweet and always kind and I hope you never change! **

**halodoll89, I am thrilled with my sister for turning you on to this story. I ALWAYS look forward to your reviews! I hope Merle's happy ending made you happy too =)**

**BLucy, I'm glad I was able to keep you on your toes! You are too sweet!**

**Brooklyn'sRoisinDubh, It has been a real pleasure getting to know you! I love your reviews and it's been a great ride =)**

**itsi3, the excitement you show in your reviews always makes me that much more excited to write! So, thank you for that!**

**rlmn, I'm happy that you are happy with this story! Hopefully I'll see you around for the next one ;)**

**Tigerlily xoxo, I'm glad you finally got yourself caught up! Good luck with your new story and thanks for always reviewing no matter what chapter you were on! **

**I know I've left people out! But these are the names I usually see every day so I remembered them off the top of my head! But EVERY one of you that review are appreciated! Thank you! **


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